


The Guardian of your Heart

by j520j



Series: The Good Omens of a Thruple [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Aziraphale Has a Penis (Good Omens), BAMF Gabriel (Good Omens), Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Blood and Violence, Caring Aziraphale (Good Omens), Comfort/Angst, Comforting Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley Has a Penis (Good Omens), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gabriel Has a Penis (Good Omens), Good Person Gabriel (Good Omens), Happy Ending, Injured Gabriel (Good Omens), Jealous Aziraphale (Good Omens), Jealous Crowley (Good Omens), M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Nice Gabriel (Good Omens), Polyamory, Protective Aziraphale (Good Omens), Protective Crowley (Good Omens), Protective Gabriel (Good Omens), References to Depression, Regretful Gabriel (Good Omens), Romantic Comedy, Sad Crowley (Good Omens), Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Threesome - M/M/M, Virgin Gabriel (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:07:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 42,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j520j/pseuds/j520j
Summary: After attempting to execute Principality Aziraphale, Archangel Gabriel is sentenced to the worst possible penalty: being Aziraphale’s guardian angel.Gabriel doesn't like that at all.Crowley even less.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley/Gabriel (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Gabriel (Good Omens), Crowley/Gabriel (Good Omens)
Series: The Good Omens of a Thruple [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789120
Comments: 146
Kudos: 277





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on, angel! Or we'll be late for the fair!” the demon exclaims, punching Bentley's horn.

Aziraphale is adjusting his bow tie for the sixteenth time in front of the mirror. He knows very well that his tie is as straight as it could be, but he insists on checking it again. He hears the door to the bookstore being rudely opened and impatient steps approaching him.

"Do you want to lose the best stuff?!" Crowley appears behind him, speaking to the angel through the mirror's reflection. “You know that the rarest LPs always go away first! And the rarest books too! ”

"I know." Aziraphale straightens his tie for the seventeenth time. "But we don't have to be late, that's what miracles are for."

"Ah, is this the plan?!" the demon's serpent eyes widen behind the dark glasses. “Not another word, angel! You're going to get in the car now!”

"Crowley!" Aziraphale is being pulled by the arm. "Please, this is really not necessary!"

"I said ‘no another word’." the redhead signals the angel to be silent. "Or I will not take you to the Italian ice cream shop after the fair."

"Ugh, fine!" growled the angel, allowing himself to be led to the cursed car.

...................................

The Book and LP Fair was in Cambridge, which meant that Crowley and Aziraphale would have to travel a few hours, much to the angel's dismay. Even though the two had been living together for a few months, he still couldn't deal with his husband's driving skills.

"Crowley, y-you’re driving 120 miles!" Aziraphale looked at the road in panic.

"Your fault, if you hadn't been so late I would have been 80."

"We c-can still use a m-miracle to...!"

"If you snap these fingers, I swear I won't buy you any more canolis for a whole year." there was a curiously affectionate threat in Crowley's voice.

"Ugh, what is the big appeal in driving, after all?!"

"I can't understand how you don't like this." the demon turned towards Aziraphale, taking his eyes off the road, much to the angel's despair. "The adrenaline rush, the feeling of power when you have the steering wheel in your hands, the sound of the wind rushing past your ears..."

"Crowley ...!" the angel's face went white as he stared straight ahead.

"Yes, I know that flying feels the same, but there is something especially exciting about driving a machine with explosive potential at high speeds on these roads that humans hav—"

“CROWLEY!!! GABRIEL!!!"

The demon barely had time to turn his neck before a strong impact stopped the car. He had hit something on the road, causing the car's air bags to inflate, saving his skins from a potentially fatal accident to their bodies.

 _Whaaaaaa?! Air bag?!_ although he was relieved to have his precious face saved, Crowley was screaming inside. _Who made a mod on my girl?!_ It took another few seconds for the vehicle to stop moving completely and turn off with a high-pitched whistle from the engine.

As he struggles out of the car, the demon can see a person crouching in front of the Bentley, his hands on the wrinkled car bodywork, the traces of shoe soles on the asphalt, and his short salt and pepper hair messed up and with a trickle of sweat in his temple. The man stood up, showing his most six feet tall, his purple eyes sparkling with irritation.

Before Aziraphale even managed to open the car door on the other side, Crowley had already run towards him protectively, forgetting the damage done to Bentley for a moment.

"Don't get close to him, asshole!" the demon snarled, almost taking on its most threatening and powerful serpentiform shape. "If you get close to him, I swear...!"

"I will only do this if necessary." the taller man's authoritative voice reverberated like a small thunder. He claps his hands to brush away the dirt and relieve the pain in his palms from having to stop a speeding car with his arms alone.

"Ga-gabriel ...!" the blond already knew that the archangel was there before he even lift his head because he saw him on the road just before the car hit his body. "Uh ... ah... w-what a p-pleasure to see you ...!" he murmured, diplomatically.

"Shut up your stupid mouth." the archangel grimaced. “For my part, I have no pleasure in seeing you again, Aziraphale. In fact, I am not happy to see any of you again, but I have no choice!”

"Why did you show up in the middle of the road, you prick?!" realizing that the archangel was not going to attack them immediately, Crowley took a less protective and more aggressive stance. “Look what you did to my car! And what the hell are these air-bags?! That's your thing, innit?! ”

"If it weren't for me, you two would have gone through the windshield and discorporate for sure."

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have hit anything!" the demon was irritated, with his finger raised in front of the taller man's face. "Why did you come to materialize in front of us?!"

"You were driving like a mad man." Gabriel slapped the demon's hand, wiping it out of his face. "I had to stop you before you caused an accident!"

"Ooooh, and why the hell would Archangel Fucking Gabriel care if Aziraphale and I were involved in an car accident?!"

"Under normal circumstances I would be happy to see your heads rolling down the road, but now..." he swallowed, squinting and taking a long breath. "... now I’m... Aziraphale's guardian angel."

The couple of supernatural entities look at Gabriel, then look at each other, then look at Gabriel again and exclaim at the same time:

"MY guardian angel?!"

"HIS guardian angel?!"

"Yes." the archangel clasped his hands in front of him, snorting. “Before you ask, it was NOT my decision! I was tasked with this mission as... as ... " he cleared his throat. "... as punishment for my conduct."

"For what?" Aziraphale's eyes widened.

"For trying to execute you without consulting God first." Gabriel looked down, unable to face the blond. Whether it was because of being embarrassed, or feeling humiliated, it was difficult to say. "And now, on account of my, hmm, mistake, I must guarantee that you will be safe."

There was an unpleasant silence, cut off by Crowley's laugh.

“Hahahaha!!! Oh, this is amazing! Fucking fantastic!” he slapped the battered body of his car, making a loud noise. “Archangel Fucking Gabriel is now a lil guardian angel! Isn't cute? What do you think, Zira? Now you have a lovely little angel to pray for every night and ask for protection! ”

"Crowley, please!" Aziraphale had a red face. “This is very serious! The work of a guardian angel is... is ...! ”

"Humiliating?"

“Why, of course not! It’s a very noble job! I have taken on this role myself a few times! ”

"I don't doubt it, you really do have a lovely cherub face, like the ones in the _Sistine Madonna_ painting!" the demon squeezed the angel's cheek, which recoiled in indignation. “Now, it's one thing to be the guardian angel of a poor human who needs protection from the elements of destiny. Another... ” he turned to Gabriel, one hand around Aziraphale's shoulder. “... it's you being the guardian angel of the guy you tried to kill yourself! Ah, how your lot say? ‘God writes straight with crooked lines’?"

"Shut up, demon!" Gabriel snarled. "Maybe I should get rid of you right now, since you’re a danger to my current protégé!"

"Do not dare!" Aziraphale positioned himself between Gabriel and Crowley. "Don't touch a single hair on him!"

"He is a danger to you!"

"No, he's not!" the Principality blew out a breath. “Well, maybe sometimes, but nothing that I can't handle. But if you're going to be my guardian angel, Gabriel, then you must respect the most basic rule of all, right?”

"Oooh, now I'm curious." Crowley rested his chin on Aziraphale's shoulder. "What rule would that be?"

"Do not interfere with your protégé's free will." the archangel closed his purple eyes and frowned. “Let's assume that the person the guardian angel protects is a climber, or a tamer of beasts, or a soldier. I cannot influence one to move away from their main source of danger. I must respect their decision if one continues to put himself at risk, if the protégé wishes to do so. ”

"Haha, great! Very enlightening of you." with a few clicks of his finger, Crowley began to repair the bodywork of his car. In few seconds, the Bentley was ready to race again. "But now we need to go! Oh, and take out those ridiculous air bags from my girl!"

"Are you sure you don't prefer them to stay there, just in case?" asked Gabriel.

"No, get rid of them!" the archangel snapped his fingers and the air bags disappeared. "Great! Now get in the car, angel, or we'll miss the best of the book and LP fair.”

"Ok." the Principality turned to his former boss. "Well, Gabriel, if you'll excuse us..."

"I cannot ‘excuse’ you guys." the taller man approached the car. “I wanted to ask you if you allow me to go with you to this place in the car. Flying around is kind of tiring, you know? ”

“Hey, wait a minute! Do you want to come with us?! ” the demon questioned.

"I don't _want_ to go anywhere with you.” Gabriel rolled his eyes. "But I _have_ to go! Did you forget that I am now Aziraphale’s guardian angel? ”

"Oh, it's true." the blond cleared his throat. "Crowley, my dear, could you lift your seat for Gabriel to settle in the back?"

"What?! No! Never! No, no, no! ” the redhead was shaking his head so vigorously that his sunglasses almost fell off. "What are you talking about? Since when are guardian angels glued to their protégés' neck in this way? I never heard of any mortal reporting: ‘Hey, I went to the mall and my guardian angel asked me to be careful when eating the food in that restaurant, the cooks don’t wash their hands!’ What the fuck?!”

"Humans can't see their guardian angels, but Aziraphale can." Gabriel gestured to the blond. “It makes no sense for me to try to keep myself hidden from him. He will feel my presence one way or the other. Why should I be flying away from him if I can get closer and even better protect him like that?”

"Zira doesn't need your protection!" the redhead shouted.

"It’s not you who decide this, demo—!"

"Crowley!" Aziraphale exclaimed. “Since you're staying with us, remember that his name is Crowley! And you will treat him with respect. ”

The archangel bit his lip and opened and closed his hands, trying to control himself.

"Ok, sorry... Crowley! And Aziraphale, I ask you: can I get in the car or do you prefer me to be flying ten meters away, as most guardian angels do?”

“You can get in the car. I know how tiring flying is.”

"Whaaaaaat?!" Crowley's outraged voice sounded too high.

“Dearest, please! We've already wasted too much time. Can we go? ”

"Wait a second! I have a question that I need to clarify! Gabriel, you were sentenced to be Aziraphale's guardian angel, right?”

"Right."

"And you need to make sure he stays safe, right?"

"Right."

"And that will be for how long?!"

"Until the Almighty says that I can return to Heaven." Gabriel's voice was overflowing with indignation. "And if anything happens to Aziraphale in this period I... well... I will Fall!"

An expression of genuine astonishment formed on the Principality's face, while a grimace of indignation distorted Crowley's face.

“Does this mean that you will have to stay with us indefinitely?! Like, watching and following and taking care of Aziraphale all the time?! ”

"This is what guardian angels do, isn't it?"

"Angel!" the demon turned towards the Principality.

"Gabriel ... uh ..." the blond rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling a headache. "... I just ask you to be discreet, okay?"

"Fine by me."

Without saying another word, the two angels got into the car. Crowley was still dumbfounded, not believing that was hapening. He only woke up from the trance of his revulsion when Aziraphale gave a slight honk, calling him to get back behind the wheel and continue the travel.


	2. Chapter 2

Aziraphale had the ability to recover from weird situations with impressive speed. As soon as he, Crowley and Gabriel arrived at the fair, the Principality went straight to the booths with decadent poetry and prose tomes. Within minutes he was flipping through old yellow-covered books, as if nothing extraordinary had happened that morning.

Crowley, for his part, couldn't be comfortable with the situation at all. He tried to run his eyes over the stands of old LPs, concentrating on his shopping list, but without success. Gabriel's presence bothered him. The archangel stood with his back straight, his arms back and looking intently, like a bodyguard or something. _Yes, just the oldest type of 'bodyguard' in existence! A fucking guardian angel!_

The book and LP stands were a little apart from each other, which caused both angels to stay away from Crowley. This didn't bring comfort to the demon at all. Seeing Gabriel with his eyes on Aziraphale made the bile in his stomach want to go up to his throat. Feelings like fear, anger, distrust and helplessness danced hand in hand inside him.

And jealousy. There was also a little bit of jealousy.

………………………

Gabriel made some mistakes in his more than six thousand years of existence. More than he'd like to admit. Some more serious, others more excusable. But he never imagined that a mistake could reduce him to his condition and be a guardian angel. Worse, a guardian angel for Aziraphale, his former employee.

Not that he dared to question the words of the Almighty. If that was Her decision, then he knew it was fair. What bothered him was not that he was wrong, but that Aziraphale was right.

 _Is this what I worked so hard for? For Armageddon to fail and, in the end, I take the blame for trying to punish a traitor?!_ he bit the inside of his cheek, uncomfortable. _Tsk, no. Aziraphale is not a traitor. If She punished me for trying to execute him, it was because the real ‘traitor’ was me._

This conclusion was painful for Gabriel. Very painful, especially for someone as proud as he is. If his punishment was to be locked up in a cell for eternity, maybe it would be better that way, because no one else would see him and he wouldn't have to face anyone else's face. But not. His punishment was to be Aziraphale's guardian angel and not only to have to see that obtuse Principality every day, but to protect it with his own life. For an indefinite period.

 _Maybe to Fall isn't that bad._ the archangel thought, but then shook his head. _No, no! They've made a fool of you, Gabriel, but you don't have to think like one! Of course, you shouldn't even consider the idea of Fall! If you Fall, you will become a demon! And worst of all ... a demon that will end up in Hell with many enemies! If I had Fallen in the beginning of time, I'd have had time to compete as an equal with others for a high status, but now? After so many conflicts? Ugh, I can't even imagine what they would do to me down there!_

He decided it was best to stop thinking about nonsense and concentrate on his mission. For now, it was being easy. Aziraphale was not exposed to any danger, other than getting into the demon's car. And despite what he had said before, Gabriel believed that Crowley was not a threat to the Principality. There was no need to keep an eye on the redhead to make sure he wouldn't hurt his former employee. It was enough for him to keep an eye on what other people could...

_Uh?! What is this?_

A human approached Aziraphale with obvious bad intentions. He looked towards those material objects ( _‘books’, these things are ‘books’_ ) and, taking advantage of the blond’s distraction, he subtly started to slide his hand into his vest.

Without thinking twice, Gabriel snapped his fingers.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" cried the human, moving away from the angel as he shook his bloody hand. "My fingers! My fiiiiingeeeers!!!”

A kind of bear trap, but in a smaller size, had closed over the human's fingers, which were bleeding in propulsion. Aziraphale could feel the energy of the miracle being conjured and immediately knew that it was Gabriel's doing. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone around them was paying attention to the human, the Principality went straight to his former boss.

"What was that?!?" he asked, irritated.

"That human was going to hurt you." was the archangel's response, keeping his expression serious.

“Hurt me? How?"

"I saw him bringing his hand close to your body, more specifically at the level of your belly."

"Oh." Aziraphale pulled on his coat lapel, exposing his vest. The pocket watch he always kept there was out of place. He immediately understood what happened. “That human didn't want to hurt me. At least not physically. He tried to steal my watch.”

"Well, then, one way or another, I did a good job." Gabriel smiled, although the smile was more of a joke than a joy for the job well done.

"You almost severed his fingers!" the blonde exclaimed, scandalized. "We can't hurt humans, Gabriel!"

The archangel just raised an eyebrow, maintaining his bureaucratic smile.

"Uh, I mean... _smiting_ a human is forbidden."

"This is not what I did, so I don't see any problem."

"You didn't have to hurt him, Gabriel." Aziraphale sighed. “Being my guardian angel doesn't give you the right to be a threat to everyone around me, especially humans! Try to be less... aggressive, okay? "

"Suggestion noted, analyzed and discarded." the archangel's voice was icy. “I am your guardian angel, not your servant. I don't have to follow orders from you, just protect you from the dangers. And the way I do this is none of your business.”

The Principality pursed his lips, obviously about to say something unkind, but whatever it was, he just gave up. He turned his back on Gabriel and turned his attention to the books.

The archangel allowed himself to smile genuinely. Despite being punished, perhaps he could find a minimum of amusement in his present condition.

……………………

The sun was already setting when the fair ended. The way back to London was silent. Aziraphale and Crowley bought far fewer things than they usually buy when they go to fairs like this. The demon was content with three bebop records, or whatever kind of strange music he had been listening to in those days, and the angel bought twenty-seven books for his collection. Little thing.

Gabriel was sitting in the backseat, looking towards the speed panel to make sure the redhead didn't run over the limit. He had also conjured seat belts in the car. Either that, or he was going to transport the three of them miraculously into the bookstore without travel over the road.

This was the only good thing that Gabriel's presence brought to that day, in Aziraphale's opinion.

"Uh, then, Gabriel." the Principality said, trying to break the ice. "Was this your first LP and Book Fair?"

"Yes."

"And do you like it?"

"No."

The angel huffed and tried again.

“Maybe you should read some of the books I bought! There is a great one that talks about theology that you maybe... ”

"No."

"But reading can be so inviting..."

"No."

“Uh, well, do you like music? Crowley has quite a collection... ”

"No!" it was the demon's turn to speak. "Do not even think about it."

Sighing, Aziraphale decided to be quiet for the rest of the trip.

After another forty minutes of sepulchral silence, the three of them reached Soho. Crowley's irritation was evident the moment he saw Gabriel enter the bookstore behind him. Snorting, he turned on the television (the television he had brought from his flat, since Aziraphale didn't care much about TV) and went to watch whatever was going on at that moment.

The blond went to the kitchen to prepare a tea that would calm his nerves. As he put the kettle on, he could feel the archangel's eyes on his back.

"Gabriel, I am perfectly safe here." he grunted, giving himself up to sulking. "You don't have to stay, if you don't want to."

"I already told you that I'm not doing this because I want to." was the archangel's cold response. "I have to stay and protect you."

“I am more than safe in my bookstore! This is my home, nothing is going to hurt me here!”

"It was what the unfortunates who died inside their homes in Pompeii thought."

A million arguments, some not so polite, passed through the blond's mind, but he held on. Aziraphale knew that not even the most skillful argumenter from Ancient Greece would be able to put a minimum of sense into the archangel's thick skull. Gabriel was like that and probably, until he was called back to Heaven, he would not go away. This made the Principality wonder whether the punishment was really aimed at the archangel or himself.

Two more hours of awkward silence caused the air in the bookstore to thicken to the point that it could be cut with a knife. Crowley rolled over on the couch, uncomfortable. Aziraphale had to read the same paragraph five times before he was able to concentrate. Gabriel, in turn, stood at the doorjamb of the room, watching the angel intensely. Every minute, it was harder to ignore the elephant in the room. Especially when the elephant was one of the most powerful beings in existence.

"Upstairs?" the demon suggested, jumping up from the sofa in such a sudden jump that the archangel assumed a defensive posture.

"Yes." was the Principality's instant response, as he closed the book in his hands. "I'm really tired and I think sleeping will do me good."

As they went up to the flat upstairs, it was obvious that Gabriel went up behind them. Aziraphale's room had been modified to accommodate a double bed and some of Crowley's personal belongings. Before it there was another room with a couch. Imbued with the spirit of hospitality, the angel snapped his fingers and made a tartan-patterned blanket appear over the furniture.

"What did I do?!" Crowley asked, startled.

"Uh? Oh, this is not for you, dear boy, it's for Gabriel.”

"What?! Are you going to let him sleep just a door away from us?! Why can't he stay down there?! ”

"It's cold down there."

“Oh, for the love of...! He's an archangel, he doesn't feel cold! ”

"I really don't feel it." admitted Gabriel, looking at the pattern on the blanket in disgust. “Neither do I sleep. I don't need to lie on this couch.”

"I thought you were tired."

"And I am, but I can still stand, thanks."

"Well, suit yourself." Aziraphale shrugged. "Crowley and I are going to the bedroom."

"Right." the archangel started to head for the aforementioned room, when Crowley's arm was positioned in front of him like a train gate.

"Hey, hey, heeeeeey!" the demon almost screamed. “What do you think you're fucking doing?! Are you going to sleep in our room?!”

"I already said that I don't sleep."

"Angel!" Crowley's snake eyes were wide and menacing. "This prick wants to enter our room!"

"Gabriel!" the Principality was scandalized. "You cannot invade our intimacy in this way!"

"What part of ‘I am your guardian angel’ you still don’t understand?” the archangel grimaced. "You know it's not uncommon for guardian angels to stay in the same room as your protégés while they sleep, right?"

"B-b-but...!" Aziraphale was almost losing his voice in indignation. And he really lost, opening and closing his mouth without being able to utter a single sound. Crowley took on his role and really started to scream.

"You _don't go_ into our room, you bloody motherfucker!" the demon stood before the door. "Just going over my dead body!"

"My pleasure!" said the archangel, about to take a step forward.

"Stop!" exclaimed Aziraphale in a panic. “Stop this immediately! Crowley, back up! And Gabriel, you cannot enter our room and that is the end of it!”

"I already told you that I don't follow your orders, I just have to protect you."

“You can protect me perfectly by staying here! On this couch!”

"It's not standard procedure."

“Ah, and since when has an Archangel protecting a Principality as a guardian angel been part of the standard procedure?! Please, be reasonable! You already said that you don't feel any satisfaction in being with us, why would you want to come into our room?”

"Probably because he's a damn pervert!" Crowley said, lifting his chin. "Everyone already knows that Zira and I are a couple, I bet he wants to see us have sex, right?"

"Ugh, of course not!" Gabriel's expression of disgust was so great that for a moment the blond thought he had been poisoned. "I have no interest in seeing you two... ugh... wallow in the sins of lust!"

"Ah, so that's it!" the demon pulled Aziraphale around the waist and hugged him. “If you want to stay in our room, know that Zira and I have a lot of sex! Every night!"

"Crowley!" the Principality's face was burning with embarrassment. 

“Seriously, we fuck like beasts! Do you see this ass here?” he slapped the angel on the buttocks and The blond almost screeched. “I rock into it a lot! Do you want to see this? Or maybe you'd rather see how much angel juice I can swallow at once, heh!” he started pushing the inside of his cheek with his tongue while making a blowjob hand signal.

"Enough!" Gabriel shook his head in extreme disgust. “Okay, I'm staying here! And you go to the bedroom to do your perversions!”

"Great!" the demon pulled the blond into the room and slammed the door in the archangel's face. He laughed delightfully, until he saw the expression of fury on his partner's face. "Uh-oh... did I overdo it?"

"Anthony J. Crowley." the angel said, hiding the slight satisfaction of seeing the color fade from the demon's face when he heard his full name. "Why don't you go keep Gabriel company out there?"

“W-what? No, no, sorry, angel! Seriously! I... I promise I will not do that ag-!"

"Out." the angel's voice was colder than Arctic. "Don't make me repeat myself."

With a barely disguised whimper, Crowley reached for the doorknob and left the room. When he was alone, Aziraphale finally allowed himself to breathe.

"Peace, at last!" he murmured, while snapping his fingers and making his pajamas appear over his body.


	3. Chapter 3

Crowley left the room crestfallen and his mood didn’t improve when he came across Archangel Fucking Gabriel sitting on the couch, as if he was waiting for his turn to be called at the dentist or something. The angel raised his violet eyes towards him, confused, and the demon just grunted under his breath.

"You said you didn't need to sleep, did you?" Crowley asked the question affirmatively.

"No, I don't need."

"Great! So get off there! I'm going to sleep on this couch.”

Unperturbed, the angel rose, allowing Crowley to lie down. The demon kicked off his shoes, removed his snakeskin belt and got rid of his jacket, leaving himself in pants and a tank top. He wrapped the tartan-patterned blanket around him and laid his head on a cream-colored pillow.

"I assume that today you’re not going to enjoy a night of sins and lust?" Gabriel asked the question affirmatively, as he leaned his shoulder against the wall.

Crowley thought about getting up and punching the angel in the face, but he thought this could end badly for him. He decided to give a verbal answer, with another affirmative question:

"Are all angels presumptuous bastards or just you and Aziraphale?"

"Don't compare me to him." the archangel frowned.

“Oooh, I wouldn't dream of comparing you to Zira! At least Zira is just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing. You? I wish I never had the displeasure of meeting you!”

"Likewise." Gabriel glanced toward the bedroom door. "Well, since you're not going to sleep in there, I think I can come in and continue my vigil."

"Do. Not. Dare! ” the demon hissed, jumping up off the couch, the tartan blanket still wrapped around his shoulders.

"Humpf, you don’t need to be afraid for your big-gut boyfriend, I'm not going to hurt him." said Gabriel, unaware that Crowley's irritation was not well for this reason.

"I could explain to you the various reasons why it is extremely inconvenient for you to invade a couple's intimacy, but what good would it do?" he gave a nasal laugh. “You don't know anything about these things! You don't even know what pornography is!”

"I know what pornography is."

"Oh, suuuuure!" Crowley sat back on the couch and threw his head back. "Zira told me when you and that golden tooth sycophant came to the bookstore and started talking about pornography out loud!"

"Ah, that?" the archangel chuckled as he remembered the event. “I think I just overreacted in my role as an embarrassed human. I am not an actor, after all. But I know very well what pornography is.”

"You were disgusted when I talked about sex before I and Aziraphale entered the room."

“Sex between humans is tolerable, a necessary evil, I would say. But between an angel and a demon ... ugh!” the archangel made a sickened face again. "I have every right to feel tarnished at the simple mention of this type of abhorrent relationship!"

Crowley laughed, but it lasted less than two seconds. There was something about Gabriel's speech that had caught his attention.

"Wait. So do you really know what sex is?”

"Yes. Is this a surprise to you?”

The demon opened his mouth, the phrase _'It is obviously a fucking surprise, I thought angels were a bunch of frustrated virgins! Well, except for Zira, of course!_ ’But he closed his mouth first. Several questions were formed in his mind, and the first that gained a voice was:

"Have you ever had sex?!"

"No."

"Oh." this was not a surprise. "If you never... how can you know what it is?"

"I don't need to eat to know what eating is and what is food." the archangel rolled his eyes and Crowley almost laughed at the proper comparison between sex and food. "This doesn’t mean that I sully the temple of my celestial body by doing either of these two actions."

"Ah, so you don't know what sex is!"

"Yes I know." the archangel insisted, irritated.

"Sex is not the kind of thing you know only in theory, sunshine!" the demon gave a wry smile. “It's the kind of thing that you need to experience! Nothing against you not wanting to enjoy carnal pleasures, but don't tell me you know what sex is if you’re a virgin!”

Gabriel opened his mouth, as if to contradict what Crowley had said, but gave up. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Humpf, whatever! And what does the fact that I have not experienced sex have to do with the present situation?”

“It has to do with the fact that you don't know how pain in the ass you are invading our intimacy! Mine and Aziraphale's! Wanting to protect him doesn't give you the right to be a nuisance to both of us!”

"Ah, so is that it?" a fake smile formed on the archangel's face and, once again, Crowley wanted to punch him. "In this case, it seems that this punishment of mine has a positive side!"

The demon was about to give in to the temptation to do something genuinely stupid and dangerous to himself, when the sound of something hitting a wooden surface, followed by a high-pitched whine, came from the room. The redhead already knew that sound well. Aziraphale, who used to be more clumsy when he was tense, must have tapped his toe or elbow on the furniture.

Gabriel, on the other hand, didn’t know that sound and ran scared to the bedroom, fearing that the blond had been seriously injured under his nose. Without even bothering to open the door, the archangel just crossed the wall in his ethereal form.

Crowley, still annoyed that a stranger was invading his and Aziraphale's room, smiled wickedly. A plan had formed in his head to get rid of Gabriel.

..................................................

 _No, no, no, no!_ the word was repeated like a mantra in the mind of the archangel. _What did I do?! I let my guard down and now that idiot ... that IDIOT...!_

As soon as Gabriel crossed the wall, he could see Aziraphale sitting on the bed, caressing his left knee. He quickly knelt before the Principality.

"It’s broken?!" asked Gabriel, touching the wounded area carefully.

"What? Oh, don't worry, Gabriel. It happens all the time, I just ... AAAHHH!”

With a snap of the archangel's fingers, the blond's pajama pants were gone. Gabriel pulled Aziraphale’s plump hands away from the affected area, assessing the damage. His knee was red from the impact, but at least it wasn't bleeding and the patellar bone felt whole after a quick mental inspection.

"G-ga-gabriel!" Aziraphale stammered, placing his hands in front of his groin. A cream colored underwear hid the male Effort that the angel had chosen for himself. "P-please... r-return my pants!"

“What about your knee? Doesn't it need care?” the archangel asked, looking up to see the blond's face, it was red to the ear.

"No! Err, it was nothing! A trivial accident! It doesn't even hurt anymore! Please, return my pants! ”

Gabriel snapped his fingers again and the Principality's ridiculous pajama pants returned to his body. Aziraphale breathed a long sigh of relief as the normal color returned to his face, but it soon turned red again when he saw that the archangel was still inside the room.

"What are you doing?" he asked, weakly.

"I will stay here." was the categorical answer. Since there was no more furniture in the room that allowed to sit, besides the bed, Gabriel sat on the floor with his back to the wall. "And don't even try to dissuade me otherwise this time."

Aziraphale did not try. Shaking his head, he lay down on the bed, turning off the main light source on the ceiling and leaving only the dim lamp on. With a book in his hands, he began to read it with a vision aid propped on the tip of his nose - which he probably had no need to use.

The two angels were silent for almost an hour, with only the distant sound of cars passing on the streets, low enough for the sound of the pages turning become louder. Gabriel didn’t sleep, but the calm and dark environment helped to relax him to the point where he closed his eyes. He leaned his head against the wall, allowing himself to relax for the first time since he had received the cursed order to be his former subordinate's guardian angel.

"You don't have to do this." in the middle of the silence, Aziraphale's voice sounded so loud that the archangel was startled. "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. But seriously, Gabriel, you don't have to be around me all the time to protect me. ”

"How many times do I need to say that I...!"

"I got it." the blond said, interrupting him. "You are my guardian angel and if anything happens to me you will be punished by the Fall." he removed the sight aid from his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But frankly, I don't need your protection. This body managed to survive for more than six thousand years without the protection of anyone... well, not to mention a little before Non-Armageddon, when it was disintegrated because of a portal to Heaven that I left open. But you don't have to worry about me, Gabriel. You can go back to your normal chores, you can even spend your time jogging in the park, if you want. If I get involved in a really dangerous situation I will call for you and then you can do your job as a guardian. ”

"What if I don't arrive on time?" the archangel grimaced. In theory, it would be enough for Aziraphale to call his guardian's name and Gabriel would appear next to him almost instantly. But almost instantly it wasn't instantly. “What if it's a situation where you won't even have time to call my name? I will not risk losing my Grace just for the convenience of you and that demon.”

“Is it really just for my convenience and Crowley's? It would be for you too. You don't like being around me, Gabriel! You hate me!”

The almost anguished way the blond said the end of the sentence made the archangel raise his eyebrow in surprise.

"I don't hate you, Aziraphale."

"No?!" it was the Principality's turn to be surprised.

"I just don't like you." the taller angel explained, calmly. “And I think I have every right to dislike you, since you lied to my face for millennia! Making dark arrangements with demons, fraternizing with them and, on top of that, spoiling the Great Plan for which I worked so hard!”

"It was never my intention to disrupt your work, Gabriel." Aziraphale's voice was sincere and hurt. "Believe me, I tried, until the last moment, to make use of administrative means to prevent Armageddon from happening without harming anyone's work!"

"You went against Her plans!" the archangel snarled, but immediately he sighed in frustration. “No... no, you were not against Her plans. If yes, you wouldn’t have been saved from hellfire and I wouldn’t have been punished for trying to execute you. Because this is what happened, isn't it? You were saved from the flames only because She interceded for you.”

An indecipherable expression formed on Aziraphale's face and he just chuckled, then spoke:

“Let's think a tad. You don't like me and would prefer to spend as little time as possible in my company. If the Almighty saved me from hellfire I am sure She will continue to protect me without your help.”

"So, for what reasons was I chosen to be your guardian angel in the first place?"

"Do not know. I imagine the reason is... ineffable.”

Gabriel closed his eyes, feeling suddenly tired. He threw his head back and his skull made a thump on the wall.

"Please. It will be much easier for you, and for me, if your contact is a little more... away. Especially when I'm here at the bookstore. Everything will be fine, Gabriel, I guarantee it! You know I’ve always been careful, don’t I?”

"Hmm, I will think about your proposal." the archangel said diplomatically. "For now, I prefer to spend the night here."

"Right." the blond sighed and went back to his reading.

A few more minutes of silence passed before the Principality spoke again.

"Gabriel?"

"Hm?"

"I... I don't hate you, either."

The archangel took a few moments to speak: “Well, you should. I tried to execute you unfairly.”

Aziraphale smiled. "True, but I forgive you."

Upon hearing those words, a strange sensation ran through Gabriel's body. A bittersweet feeling, both good and bad. He had never felt anything like this before. And when you're six thousand years old, feeling something new is scary.

The archangel looked at the floor, unable to look Aziraphale in the face.

"You... you shouldn't have forgiven me, I... uh... if you had died in hellfire, there would be no way to bring you back. I mean, maybe the Almighty would be able to resurrect you, but... ”

“I am alive, you recognized your mistake and now… who would have thought! We are both together in the same room, talking quietly with each other. Isn't that good?”

Somehow, the bittersweet feeling inside Gabriel's chest started to become more bitter. He clenched his fists and buried his head between his knees, although he was not sure why his body was reacting in that strange way.

"I'm… not sure."

"I understand. Well, I don't want to increase your discomfort. For this reason, think carefully about my proposal, yes? ”

"Ok."

Silence came over the room again, with only the sound of the pages of the book being turned. For a moment, Gabriel wished the room were completely dark. For a moment, he really thought that Fall would have been a more appropriate punishment for his misconduct.


	4. Chapter 4

Aziraphale looked at the ducks in the lake. The morning was very sunny and the sunlight reflected strongly on the water, making the angel squint, uncomfortable.

"You still haven't said what you think of my idea." said Crowley, tossing pieces of bread to the birds.

"I don’t like it." was the answer.

"Why not?" the demon looked sideways. “Your life itself will not be at risk, angel. In the worst case you will only need another body. At best, well, your current body will only be sore for a few weeks. ”

"Forge an accident with me... and then prevent Gabriel from saving me in time?" his voice was incredulous.

“It's the most efficient way to get rid of that wanker! I set a fake accident to distract him and then you get involved in a real accident! When he realizes what happened, he will Fall! And then we get rid of him!”

"Crowley." Aziraphale shook his head. "I can't do this."

"Are you afraid of the accident?"

"It's not about this. It's about ... well, I don't want to do this to Gabriel.”

The piece of bread the demon had in his hands started to catch fire, much to the ducks' sadness.

"Since when do you feel sorry for that fucking middle-aged yuppie?!" the redhead was almost snarling.

“Crowley, I don't want to harm Gabriel. I never wanted this! ”

"But he wished to kill you!"

“Yes, but... water under the bridge. If I were to avenge myself, I would have done this before. I'm not the type who likes to eat cold dishes besides sushi ” the angel laughed at his own joke, but when he saw that the demon was still serious, he cleared his throat. “Err, as I said, I don't feel like taking revenge on him. Why should I harm him now?”.

“If he had his ass sitting behind his bloody desk in Heaven, I wouldn't give half a fuck to anything that happened to him! But now?! He's stuck with us! He's disturbing our life! We need to get rid of him!”

“But... making him Fall is a little drastic, don't you think? I mean, I know you Fell, too, and you have adjusted to your condition. But Gabriel... uh, that would be too terrible for him! I heard rumors of how much the late Fallen suffer when they get to Hell.”

“And are you actually worried about that son of a bitch?! It’s one thing not to want to take revenge on him, another is to want to protect him! ”

"I don't want to protect him!" the angel turned to his companion, eyes full of disapproval. “But I don't feel, in my heart, the desire to see him punished so terribly, if I can help it. Even in the current situation, I never... ”

"Oh, but I want it, I really want it!" the demon clenched his teeth, almost revealing his fangs so angry he was. “You have no idea how much I'm holding on to not rip that stupid face! If I have a regret in life it’s not to have blown hellfire further enough to burn him and the two others stupid angels who were watching you get burned without even blinking!”

"Crowley... let it be." the angel closed his eyes. "I already forgave Gabriel, now you ..."

"Did you _forgive_ that fucker?!" the demon's yellow eyes widened.

"Yes!" Aziraphale looked at him steadily. “I forgave him, Crowley! Hating Gabriel for the rest of eternity will not do me any good! Neither to you! Please, let it be!”

" _Never_!" the demon grabbed the angel by the collar and made their faces almost touch. “I will never forgive that bastard! He tried to kill you! He tried to take you away from me! I will NEVER, EVER forgive him!”

With sad eyes, Aziraphale touched the hands that held him by the lapel of his overcoat.

"I already forgave Beelzebub too." he said, placidly. “Beelzebud, Hastur, and all the other demons that also wanted to take you away from me. You have no idea how much I would like to have splashed holy water on them in the occasion. At the time of you failed execution, I’d have loved to have strangled Michael too, who was in league with them all the time to kill you.”

Taken by surprise, Crowley dropped Aziraphale's coat. The angel continued speaking:

“You are with me now, dear boy. You will always be with me. And they'll never be able to take you away from me again. That is why I have no more reason to hate them. In the same way that Gabriel can no longer take me from you, on the contrary! He's going to have to protect me with his very existence from now on. It may be a nuisance, it’s true, but he can no longer threaten me. Maybe forgiving him is a bit much, but you have no reason to hate him anymore.”

The demon took a few steps back, his frown indicating that he was thinking about the possibility. After a few seconds he just shook his head vehemently.

"No! I don't forgive him!” Crowley insisted. “What he tried to do is unforgivable! And an unforgivable crime like his would deserve the Fall! After all, this is what demons are: unforgivable!”

"You have already been forgiven by God, Crowley." Aziraphale smiled. "Even though you're still a demon, I can't help but think that our current happiness has a little help from Her too. Is there any better redemption than having our beloved whole world and the possibility of living in it together?"

"And… with Gabriel!" the demon spat.

"I don't think this is permanent."

"What if it is?!"

“Well, then I reiterate my request for you to at least stop hating him. It will be easier for us to live together like this, no?”

Raising his arms up in exasperation, Crowley mumbled some curses and started walking out of the park. Aziraphale followed, with a smile on his face. But the truth is that despite what he had just said, he also hoped that that unpleasant situation of both being with Gabriel's presence in their lives wouldn’t be permanent.

…………………………..

Gabriel's desk was cluttered with folders, memos and documents. He was completely lost in the chaos, not even knowing where to start. There was a lot of accumulated work.

"Jammel needs you to sign his authorization for China." said Uriel, holding a pen and paper for the archangel. "Here it is."

"Wait, wait, I need to read it first." the angel was in the middle of reading another document that talked about heavy demonic activity in Australia. "Can you wait five minutes?"

"Gabriel, here are the requisite guides for new corporations." Sandalphon came into the room with a stack of papers in his hands. "Manoel, Laliel, Daniel and Ariel were discorporated ..."

"Hey, can you guys give me a minute?!" the archangel rose from his chair, raising his hands. "I need to check these documents calmly!"

"Evil doesn't rest, Gabriel." said Michael, appearing beside him. “Our work is motionless because you waste time reading everything. Just sign them, we’re in a hurry.”

"Ugh, fine!" the archangel gave up and started signing all the documents that were placed in front of him. “There, happy now? Now let me take care of other troubles!”

"Sure. I will send a copy of all the documents you signed by fax, ok?” said Michael leaving the room in the company of the other two archangels.

"Right."

Gabriel tried to refocus on the documents on his desk, but he couldn't even read them. For some reason the lines were blurred, the letters changed places and he needed to reread the same paragraph several times. Feeling his head hurt, he dropped the papers and bowed his back.

"Father Almighty, what's going on with me?" he wondered, looking at the white infinity from which the ceiling of his office was made. “How did I let so much work accumulate? And why haven't I been able to complete anything since I sat in this chair?”

His line of thought was cut off by the sound of the fax machine. The copy of the documents that Gabriel had signed had arrived. The archangel reached out to check the papers and keep them in the file, when something caught his eye.

"What? Did... did I sign this?!”

The first document said ‘Authorization to Execute the Principality Aziraphale’.

Jumping out of his chair, the archangel began to check document by document, realizing that he had been deceived.

‘Method of Execution of Principality Aziraphale Confirmed: Burn to Death by Hellfire’ read the second document. The third was: ‘Contingency Plan: If Execution by Hellfire Fails, Use Dismemberment.’ The fourth document read: ‘Type of Dismemberment Chosen: Torn apart by four Thrones.’

In a panic, Gabriel ran to the room where punishment practices were performed in Heaven. And although he had no need to breathe, he felt the unpleasant sensation of air escaping from his lungs when he saw the scene.

Aziraphale was lying on the floor, tied by the arms and legs, each end with a rope tied to an angel Throne in its true form: three big shiny golden spheres, rotating intertwined with a divine fire core inside. The three archangels were in the room, looking with anticipated satisfaction at the scene they were going to witness.

"Pull!" exclaimed Michael, raising her hand.

The four Thrones began to fly in the opposite direction from each other, pulling Aziraphale's limbs in an attempt to untie them from his trunk. The Principality let out a shriek, followed by the sound of bones being broken.

“Wait! Stop!” the archangel screamed, but it was too late.

"GabrieEEELLLL ...!" the blond shouted, looking at Gabriel with tears in his eyes.

But before the archangel could fly to him, the sound of something wet being ripped through the room and both Aziraphale's arms and legs came loose in a violent explosion of blood.

The Principality tried to scream, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was spurts of blood. His severed limbs were dragged by the Thrones to the ironic applause of the three archangels.

"No, no ... NO !!!" Gabriel tried to conjure up a miracle to try to stop the blood from his wounds, but it was useless. Although, in theory, only the Principality's physical body was injured, Gabriel knew that this was the end for him. "AZIRAPHALE!!!"

"G-ga-briccoooghhhh!" his throat was filled with blood. His dismembered trunk was trembling, already in its final spasms of life. "W-wha-why ...?"

"Sorry ...!" the archangel whispered. "Sorry, I didn’t ... I ... I ... aaaAAAHHH!!!"

"Gabriel?"

"I'M SORRY!!!" he screamed, panicked.

"Gabriel, wake up!"

The horrible reality fell apart as if by a miracle. The archangel found himself lying on Aziraphale's bed, with the Principality standing beside him, holding him by the shoulders.

“Calm down, Gabriel! Calm down!" repeated the blond, trying to reassure the taller angel. "It's all right."

"Wha... what...?!" he still didn't understand what had happened. “Aziraphale, I ...! What happened?! I was in Heaven a second ago, and then... oh ... so horrible!"

"You must have had a nightmare."

"I had ... a what ?!"

“A bad dream. Last night you fell asleep sitting on the floor and today, in the morning, I decided to put you to bed.” the Principality said, giving the archangel's cold hand a friendly pat. “When we sleep, we have dreams. Some good and some bad. You just got unlucky the first time you were sleeping. ”

"Oh... a dream? Like, an illusion?”

"Almost that. You’d have to read some psychoanalysis books from my collection to understand. ”

"Uh ..." regaining his cool, Gabriel allowed himself to sink into the pillows. "Oh, God! What a horrible thing! How do humans deal with this every night?”

“As I said, sometimes we have good dreams and sometimes we have bad dreams. And it’s not uncommon for you to wake up without remembering your dreams.”

"Hm." stroking his forehead, the archangel shot the blond a reprimanding look. "Aziraphale, you only wear this overcoat when you go out."

"Oh, err, yes." the Principality looked at his own clothes. "I... I was ..."

"Did you leave the bookstore without telling me?!" the man sat on the bed, irritated.

“It was just for a moment, Gabriel! And nothing happened, as you can see! I just went to feed the ducks with Crowley, and... ”

Before he could finish the sentence, the archangel grabbed him by the coat.

"Do not do this! Never!" he snarled. “Don't you dare leave this building without me! If you and that demon want privacy inside, fine! I keep out of the room that you want to stay, but DON’T leave this place WITHOUT me!!!

Even Gabriel was surprised at himself. He was shaking from head to toe. Cold sweat ran down his body, leaving the back of his shirt wet. A chime of emotions was running at high speed inside him. And no, it definitely wasn't just because of the dread of being able to Fall if anything happened to Aziraphale.

Confused and embarrassed by his overreaction, he released the Principality, who was still looking at him in shock.

"Sorry." he murmured, looking down. "I... I'm sorry…"

"Aziraphale!" Crowley appeared at the bedroom door. He was without his sunglasses and his snake eyes were menacing when he faced the archangel. "You! Why were you yelling at him?!”

"It’s ok, Crowley." the blond hurried to say. “Gabriel had a nightmare. It was his first time sleeping. It’s normal to be shaken. But it's everything fine now, dear boy. You can rest easy. In fact, you two can rest easy. ”

Aziraphale's voice soothed both men, they faced each other one last time, before looking away.

"Sorry." Gabriel repeated, rubbing his forehead. “Are you… are you two going to come to the room? Do you want me to stay somewhere else?”

“You can stay here in my room, Crowley and I are going to stay downstairs, scaring some customers from the bookstore. In fact, I think you should take a shower to relax. It’s always good to take a shower right after waking up.”

"Shower?" angels didn’t need to bathe, as all it took was a snap of the fingers to get rid of all the dirt that their bodies could accumulate during the day. But Gabriel was no stranger to bathing, it was one of the ‘human things’ he liked to do. Especially after jogging. "Yes, of course. A shower, um, can be a good idea. ”

"Great! I'll get you a towel and new clothes. ”

………………………….

"What he is doing?" asked Crowley, sitting in an armchair with a bottle of wine in his hand.

"Isn't it a little early for this, dear boy?" Aziraphale gave the bottle a reprimanding look.

“Don't evade the question! What that dipshit is doing?”

"I suggested that he takes a shower to calm his nerves after the nightmare he had."

“Huh?! Is he using our bathtub?! ” the demon stood up, looking disgusted.

"Crowley, please!"

“Argh, remind me to buy cleaning products after we go out for lunch! At least ten liters of bleach!”

"We’re not going out to lunch today, Crowley."

"What?!"

“Well, unless it's okay for Gabriel to come with us. He doesn't want me to stay away from him. Otherwise, let's have lunch at home.”

The redhead snorted, knowing that any attempt to argue was useless, especially after their conversation in the park that morning. Finishing turning the bottle over, Crowley decided to go up to the flat upstairs.

"Darling, you drank a little too much, don't you think?" he heard the angel speak behind him. "Isn't it better for you to sober up?"

The demon ignored him and lay down on the couch in the flat's living room. He was not drunk, just a little high. Only with a reasonable amount of alcohol would he be able to withstand that situation.

Crowley sank his head into a pillow and thought about sleeping until lunch, but the sound of the shower on caught his attention. _At least he's using running water instead of having that ass sitting in our bathtub!_ he thought, irritably, and turned on his side.

Twenty minutes passed and the shower continued.

 _What the fuck?_ the demon got up, a little dizzy. _Does the wanker thinks he can keep the shower on until he wants to? Where does he think he is, in Brazil?!_

The demon went to the bathroom door and thought of knocking to rush Gabriel, demanding that he finish the shower soon. However, perhaps because of alcohol, an inconvenient curiosity arose in his mind.

Crowley knelt before the door and peeked through the lock.

.

.

.


	5. Chapter 5

The archangel was standing, one leg half-folded in front of the body and the other stretched out behind. His hands were resting on the wall in front of him, arms outstretched and his head bowed.

It was not possible to distinguish his expression well, but he looked distressed. The water, which fell directly over his head, seemed to wash away any bad thoughts that were still embedded in his mind. However, it wasn’t Gabriel's face that caught Crowley's attention.

_Holy shit, he has a hell of a...!_

Suddenly, the archangel raised his head and turned off the water. The demon fell back, already preparing to move away from the door, but curiosity persisted. He crouched down again and looked through the keyhole once more.

Gabriel was drying himself with the towel, running it over his hair, shoulders, chest and it took a little longer to dry the middle of his legs.

 _Why the hell does an archangel need such an big Effort?! A virgin archangel, for starts?_ Crowley thought, biting his lip. _It must be a symbol of pride, I bet! It is! Pride! That big, big, big wanker! How come he hasn't turned into a demon yet?!_

After drying off, the brunette looked towards some folded clothes on top of the towel closet. The clothes were from Aziraphale, but the Principality changed the size of the clothes with a miracle to fit Gabriel's size. He looked at the clothing for a moment. They were plain clothes, cream-colored linen pants, a white shirt, a beige belt, and a brown sleeveless jumper. The archangel snapped his fingers, changing the color of his pants, belt and jumper to different shades of purple, more to his liking.

He put on the white shirt first and then looked at another piece of clothing: a cream-colored underwear. He took it and placed it in front of his body.

 _It will be tight!_ thought the demon, mocking. _Zira forgets to increase the size of his underwear, but I bet he didn't expect this proud archangel to have such an large Effort, heh! Come on, Gabriel, increase it with your miracle. Cocky!_

That was probably what the archangel was thinking of doing, since he was about to snap his fingers again. However he changed his mind and simply put the underwear aside, putting on his pants soon after.

_What?!_

When he was fully dressed, he started to approach the door and Crowley had to use a miracle to escape in time not to be caught. He appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the bookstore, scaring a customer.

"Aaaaah, Baby Jesus, what is this?!" the poor human screamed.

Aziraphale hated to do this, but he was forced to paralyze the human and clear the last five seconds of his mind. When the latter forgot why he was frightened, the angel went to speak to the demon.

"What was that?!" he whispered, pulling Crowley by the arm. "Why did you come here like that?"

"Uh, sorry, I ... I wanted to show up in the kitchen to get another bottle of wine!"

“You are really too drunk! Sober up, now!”

The demon ended up fulfilling his angel's request, making the wine he had just drank back into the bottle. For the next few minutes he was content to lie sprawled in an armchair, pretending to be reading a book, while thinking about what he had just seen.

And speaking of the devil... or rather, the archangel.

"Gabriel, you look a lot better after a relaxing bath!" Aziraphale greeted the brunette as soon as he saw him coming down the stairs to the bookstore. "Um, I see that my choice of colors for the clothes didn’t please you."

"Does not matter." the man said. “Well, it's almost midday already. Do you intend to leave the bookshop?”

"I would have no problem with you accompanying me for lunch, Gabriel, but Crowley..."

“Hey, hey! Don't use me as an excuse!” the demon got up from the chair. “Do you want to accompany us to lunch, suit? No problem! Seriously, why would this be a problem? If we survived with you in pursuit for hours at the book and LP fair yesterday, what are a few minutes at the restaurant?”

"Crowley?" the angel realized that there was something strange about his boyfriend's behavior, but was unable to identify what it was. In any case, when it came to food, he had little patience to dwell on trivial matters. “Well, in this case, why don't we go now? Today I want to go with Italian food.”

“Sure, sure! Let's go! Come on, Gabe! ” the demon called, with an excess of enthusiasm. “You only know food in theory, don't you? So how about we take the opportunity for you to try pasta for the first time?”

The archangel just snorted, ignoring Crowley as he watched Aziraphale fetch his coat from the hanger. When the three were ready, they walked to a restaurant that was three blocks away.

Aziraphale tried to make conversation with Gabriel just so as not to allow the three to walk in silence. The archangel pretended to pay attention, giving bovine responses to the blonde's speech about the first time he tried noodles in China in the year 1000 BC, or something like that. Crowley walked in front of them, leading the pair of angels to the restaurant.

From time to time the demon cast a few looks back. His attention was divided between the bored expression of the archangel and the large volume he had between his legs, swinging loose as Gabriel walked.

On one of these occasions, he suddenly stopped, which caused the two angels to run into him.

"Ah, Crowley!" Aziraphale complained when he and Gabriel bump into him. “Speed up the pace, will you? Why when you walk you are so slow while in the car you run like crazy?”

“Uuuh, sorry, angel! I mean, sorry... angelssss! ” the demon said, his face flushed. In the bump, he can feel Gabriel's Effort touching his hip. And it took all his willpower not to conjure up another miracle and just disappear.

……………………….

The Trattoria was as cozy as Aziraphale remembered and the food was wonderful. The angel asked for carbonara, Crowley asked for a fettuccine (more so the blond could taste a little of his dish) and Gabriel wrinkled his nose when a simple spaghetti was placed in front of him.

"Come on, try at least one mouthful!" the principality encouraged, eating some of his carbonara himself. “Hmmm, it’s delicious! Their pasta is self-made and the sauce comes from organic tomatoes! You will not regret it, Gabriel! Come on, try up!”

"Does it make any difference whether the pasta is made here or elsewhere?" the archangel stirred the food like someone poking an open wound. And in his eyes, that was what the food on his plate looked like, with all that red sauce. “And what do you mean by ‘organic tomatoes’? Is there an inorganic way of having tomatoes?”

"I said this wasn’t going to work." Crowley murmured, taking a sip of his white wine.

“Try, please! I know you care about your body's heavenly temple, but ... ”

"No longer." Gabriel sighed. "Unfortunately, after my punishment, I'm not that pure anymore."

"Neither before, I bet!" the demon spat. The overly energetic reaction made the two angels look at him, confused. “Ngk, sorry, forget it! And you, Gabriel, eat this damn pasta! Otherwise Zira will not leave you alone until the end of Eternity! ”

"Right." awkwardly, the archangel tried to garnish the food, but it didn’t stop at his utensil.

"You need to wrap it around the fork, dear boy." Aziraphale demonstrated with his carbonara. "Like this!"

Gabriel repeated the Principality's movement and, with the pasta supported by the fork, he put it in his mouth. He grimaced, feeling the strange texture on his tongue, but began to chew slowly. Finally, he swallowed, running his tongue over his lips to wipe off the excess sauce.

"And then?" asked the blond, expectantly.

"It's… interesting." he said, looking up, as if he were still pondering the experience he had just had.

With a huff of disappointment, Aziraphale returned to his carbonara. Lunch went on in silence until the blond cleared his plate - and still taking the surplus of Crowley's fettuccine. Then he looked at Gabriel's plate. And, to his surprise, the archangel had eaten all the spaghetti.

"Oh, you liked it!" he said, with triumph in his voice.

"Well ..." the taller angel still looked upset. "It’s not bad. But I don't know why anyone would needlessly maintain this habit. Food is made to keep the mortal body alive. You don't have to eat as often as a human, Aziraphale.”

"In the same way that you are in the habit of exercising every day, although your body always remains healthy even without it?"

"It’s different! I exercise to keep my senses sharp for war!”

"But there will be no more war, Gabriel."

"So, I'm going to keep my senses sharp to protect you."

Aziraphale's eyes widened, surprised by the spontaneity with which Gabriel said that. It was obvious that the reason was the fact that he didn't want to Fall, yet it almost sounded as if he... he was...

"And beyond that." the archangel continued to speak after clearing his throat. “Wasting food is a sin. A minor sin, but still a sin. ”

“Hah! Look who's talking!” Crowley suddenly exclaimed. "As if you didn't commit several other sins before!"

"What are you talking about? I do not commit sins.” said Gabriel, irritated.

"Please, can you lower your voice?" asked Aziraphale, rolling his eyes and drinking his white wine.

“Ah, no? Huh? Are you really as pure as you think? There is another minor sin that I am sure you must practice a lot!”

"Pff, and what would it be?"

"Masturbation!"

Aziraphale choked on his wine and started coughing, bringing a handkerchief to his mouth. He gave Crowley a scandalized look. _Why did you say that?!_ the Principality thought, trying to regain his composure.

"No, I never did that." Gabriel's tone of voice was unperturbed. "It has something to do with pornography, doesn't it?"

Crowley started to laugh and the Principality didn't know where to stick his face, especially when some heads turned towards their table. With a snap of his fingers, the entire salon of the trattoria forgot that those three men existed in the next instant.

"This was frivolous." Gabriel said, glaring at Aziraphale.

"Uggh ... yeah ... it's temporary!" the blond was still wiping his chin on the wine he spat. "I will undo it when ordering dessert."

"Dessert?"

"Yes, an after-lunch treat."

"But don't we eat enough already?"

"Well, if you were human, Gabriel, for a person your size, just a small plate of spaghetti wouldn't be enough to satisfy your hunger."

"Yeah, for a person _your size_ , eating so little would not be enough!" Crowley said, again in a tone of irritation that Aziraphale couldn’t understand.

"I’ll pass." Gabriel shot the demon a reproachful look and got up from the table. "I'll wait for you outside."

The archangel walked to the exit of the restaurant and, when he was outside, the blond pinched Crowley's arm.

"Ooouch, what was…?!" asked the redhead, stroking his arm.

"Why on Earth did you to talk about masturbation out aloud?!" Aziraphale frowned. “You’re acting weird all lunch, Crowley! What's your problem?"

"My problem just left the restaurant!"

“Listen, I know that having Gabriel around at all times is an inconvenience, but this behavior is not helping at all! It’s only making our situation even more tough!”

“As if it were being easy one way or the other! Especially now!”

"What do you mean 'especially now'?"

Crowley made a movement with his mouth that indicated that he was biting his own tongue. Fierce. "Forget what I said!"

"Forget my foot!" it was the angel's turn to get angry. "Are you going to explain to me what's going on?!"

The demon took the bottle of wine, turned it at once and then took a long breath. He decided to tell.

...........................

Gabriel didn't want to admit it, but that gross matter, wrapped in red liquid, really caused feelings of pleasure to his little used taste buds. The archangel only consumed water when he exercised and, occasionally, a little bitter coffee to keep his attention sharp in the office. A human who used to jogging with him in a park in New York once suggested that he drink a beverage called Gatorade, but Gabriel hated it.

This reminded him that he should have tasted the pale yellow liquid that Aziraphale and Crowley were drinking so tastefully at lunch. The Principality even said that that liquid, in particular, went very well with that specific type of food, and ...

 _Oh, what am I thinking?_ the Archangel shook his head. _I have to focus on protecting Aziraphale! Just this! No experiencing stupid things!_

As he waited outside, Gabriel could smell the food coming from the establishment. Some aromas resembled the material he had eaten, others a little reminiscent of the smell of the material that Aziraphale had chosen and others that had been chosen by Crowley. He recalled that the Principality had presented him with a menu full of options, probably more than a hundred of them. Humans really seemed to enjoy eating their food in a variety of ways.

For some reason, Gabriel started to fell his mouth watering. A strange feeling that he didn't know how to classify as good or bad. Perhaps it was both. He was almost back inside the establishment when the door opened abruptly, revealing Aziraphale.

The angel hurriedly walks away, walking stiffly down the street, without looking back.

“Hey, Aziraphale! Wai—! ” he felt a hand holding him. It was Crowley. "Hey, what happened?"

"S’othing." said the demon. Although his eyes were covered by dark glasses, it was possible to see that his expression was one of sadness. "Nothing, just ... err... a little disagreement."

"Between you two?" the Archangel inquired.

"Oh, shut up." the redhead's tone was tired, not angry. “Come on, before you lose sight of Aziraphale. After all, you are his guardian angel, aren't you? ”

"Yes, I am." Gabriel agreed, walking towards the bookstore, wanting to understand what had just happened.


	6. Chapter 6

This was the seventh night since Gabriel had started his work as Aziraphale's guardian angel. And things, although they were calm, didn’t mean they were better. In fact, things were _... too much_ calm.

"Angel?" Crowley called from the bedroom door. Aziraphale was making his bed to go to sleep and didn’t turn to speak to him. "Hey, angel!" he insisted, his voice becoming more and more sly. "Please! You will be sulking with me for how long because of that... that...! Ngk, because of Gabriel?”

"Who's Gabriel?" the blond asked, his voice full of pomp and irony.

“You know who I'm talking about! The dick in the purple clothes!”

“Ah, yes, ‘dick ’! The guy who has a huge ‘dick’ that you like to look at, right?”

"Aaaahhhh, c’mooooon!" the demon threw up his arms. "How many times do I need to say that it was unintentionally?!"

"I didn't know that people were kneeling in front of the bathroom door to spy on others 'unintentionally', Crowley!"

"I didn't want to see Gabriel's dick!"

"He was taking a shower, what did you expect to see?"

"Nothing!" the redhead hit his hand on the wall. “I thought I was going to see nothing! He told me he was a virgin! How was I supposed to know he had a fucking prick?! And a big one?! ”

"You like big dicks, I suppose." the angel had already put on his pajamas with a snap of his fingers. "Since you kept looking at it for a long time."

"I like _your_ dick, stupid angel!" Crowley came over, wanting a kiss, but Aziraphale looked away. “I like anything you manifest to me, of any size! A dick, a cunt, breasts, ass, gynoecium... anything! I do like _you_!”

"Damn straight you do!" the blond lay on the bed and put on his glasses to read a book. That was a clear sign that they weren't going to do anything that night - as they hadn't been doing all week.

"Zira, your jealousy for such a stupid little thing is ridiculous!"

" _Little_ thing? I thought you said it was big.”

"Awww, how long is this going to continue?" Crowley lay down on the floor, his whining was to be pitied, but Aziraphale did not fade. “I can't take this anymore, angel! I cannot stand!"

The blond sighed and removed his glasses.

"What if I saw Gabriel's dick too?"

Crowley jumped up on the bed so fast that it looked like a snake pouncing at its prey.

"What?!? Whatideaisthissssssssssssss?! _Why_ do you want to see his dick?!”

“If you saw it, I have the right to see it too! So we are tied!”

"Over my dead body!" the demon snarled. "You are _not_ going to see that prick’s prick!"

"Now you who are ridiculous jealous."

"I have more reason to be jealous than you!" Crowley raised his hand and began to count the reasons on his fingers. “First, you two are angels! Second, you two spent a lot of time together, even as boss and employee! Third, you already forgave him for trying to kill you! And last, and not least, he is protecting you! And I know how this feeling of protection can create something deeper!”

"How did it happen between the two of us?" Aziraphale smiled for the first time that day.

The smile made Crowley's anger disappear for a moment. It always worked. But the demon was able to see the attempted manipulation in disguise and became angry again.

"Wanna know something?! Go!" the redhead got up from the bed and turned away, looking at the wall. “Go downstairs and see your ex boss's dick! Come on, I don't care! Then, who’ll NOT want to have sex with you for a week is me! Just go!"

Aziraphale grunted. He was seriously thinking about ending that withdrawal that night, but he changed his mind in the face of the demon's tantrum. He picked up his glasses and went back to his reading. One more night at zero to zero.

……………………………..

After the awkwardness of the first two days, the rest of the week went smoothly for Gabriel.

He, Aziraphale and Crowley reached a routine consensus that seemed to please everyone. In the morning, before the two left the room, Gabriel was going to run in the park to stretch his legs a little. He returned at breakfast time, with Aziraphale always offering him food, but the archangel preferred only water or coffee.

The morning was quiet, with occasional trips from Aziraphale to visit other stores and buy more books. At noon it was lunchtime - inside the bookshop - with the Principality insisting that Gabriel should try new types of food. Sometimes Gabriel would agree just to be left alone.

The afternoon continued tedious until dinner time (more food! How was it possible to fit so much into a stomach in such a short time?) And, finally, bedtime. To fill the idleness, the archangel decided to read some books. He asked Aziraphale for some tips on tomes that could add useful information to his work in Heaven. To the brunette's surprise, there were more than half a dozen books that ended up interesting him. A lot more.

‘The Art of War’ has given him some meaningful insights into combat, inside and outside the office. ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ taught him interesting strategies to motivate other angels to work better. And ‘Psychology of Selling’ taught how to sell mortals the idea that doing good deeds was more positive than doing sins.

Gabriel decided not to try to sleep anymore - since the strange ‘nightmare’ he had, he thought it best not to repeat the experience - so the angel spent the whole night reading books and looking for new titles on the shelves of business books.

It was the dawn of the eighth day of his work as a guardian angel and he was almost convinced that Aziraphale was right: the Principality didn’t need protection twenty-four hours a day. The archangel was considering the idea of visiting Heaven and seeing how things were going, even applying some of the ideas he got from those business books, but changed his mind. Not only it was risky, but he was also starting to enjoy being in the company of Aziraphale.

Well, he was enjoying the job of protecting his former employee. Actually, that could hardly be called work. Gabriel practically did nothing all day but read books, jog in the park, visit some stores and try food.

It was one in the morning when he finally chose a new book to read: ‘Think and Grow Rich!’ An archangel certainly had no need for money, but that book was cited by several other authors as a must-read. So Gabriel decided to read it.

Around two-thirty in the morning, Aziraphale went down to the bookshop in his pajamas. The agreement that the three had made was that, during the night, Gabriel would only stay downstairs to respect the couple's privacy. However, if he were sincere, the archangel could have sworn that in those last days the blond and the redhead did not act exactly like a couple - of course, he only knew about affective relationships in theory.

"What happened?" asked the tallest angel, looking up over the book.

"Why do you think that something happened?" was Aziraphale's rather harsh reply, who began looking for a book to read on the shelf of Russian novels.

"By your tone of voice?" said Gabriel, giving his fake smile. "And the fact that you're not sleeping with Crowley?"

"Do you mean sleeping in the sense of 'sleeping', or ...?" the tone of voice was even more irritated.

"Both?" the archangel shrugged. "Anyway, whatever you two do up there."

"Yeah, I almost forgot that you don't understand any of these things." the blond started leafing through some books. "It has its advantages, you can't miss what you've never had."

"What you mean?"

Aziraphale sighed, in a clear sign that he was ending that conversation. Gabriel decided not to insist and went back to reading his book. He only looked up from the pages again when he realized that the Principality had sat in an armchair in front of him to read. The new question was on the tip of his tongue, but the archangel decided not to let it go.

A few minutes passed, until Gabriel began to feel a strange discomfort. He looked up again and realized that Aziraphale was looking at him. Not towards the face, but towards his groin.

"Why do you need an Effort, Gabriel?" the blond asked, realizing he was caught looking.

“Uh? You mean, a male genitalia?”

"Yes." Aziraphale closed the book in his hands, still looking at the archangel's groin. “And I would also like to take the opportunity and ask why you don't wear underwear. I can increase the size of some of my boxers for you, if you want.”

“There is no need, I'm fine. And on your first question, I developed a male Effort at the time that humans invented the jockstrap.”

"Oh, are you referring to that... athletic supporter?" the blond gestured towards his own hip.

"Yes. As you know, I always liked to play sports. I started doing this in the company of some humans at the beginning of the last century, when everyone started using jockstraps. And humans always looked at me strange when they realized that I had no bulk in my loins, so I decided to develop a male Effort.”

"But why such a big one?"

"Mine is too big?"

"Well... not for certain activities." Aziraphale chuckled. "You never used your penis for sex?"

"No." Gabriel narrowed his eyes, somewhat uncomfortable with the question. "And for what? Angels don’t reproduce. ”

“But our bodies can experience pleasure from sex, just as human bodies. Have you never really been curious to try it?”

"Lust is one of the deadly sins."

"Pride too." Aziraphale said, accusingly. "I venture to say that, in part, the reason you chose such an big Effort was because of pride."

Gabriel opened his mouth to contest, but stopped. He had to admit: at the time when he played sports with some humans, he felt a certain satisfaction in seeing them with wide eyes as they appreciated his body. Apparently the admiration was not only for his muscles, broad shoulders and perfect hair, it was also for what he carried between his legs.

But the archangel never thought of it as ‘pride’, but as the noble mission of setting an example for humanity. _"Lean, mean fighting machines!"_ he told many of them, showing his own corporation as an example.

"I ... I didn't do this out of pride, it was just..." Gabriel stopped for a moment. “Well, my intentions were noble! It was to set a good example. ”

"Hell is full of 'noble intentions' and you know it." Aziraphale's tone was less accusatory and more understandable. “This was always one of the things that bothered me when I worked with you and the other archangels. You were always so quick to judge mankind, without realizing that you too were committing sins.”

"We do not...!" he stopped, frowning and lowering his face. "Oh!"

"You know, I also always thought that your insistence on saying that you were the 'right side' was a little vain, you know? I mean, in my opinion, at least.”

_Oh!_

The Principality said something else, but Gabriel was no longer listening. _Vanity of vanities ... everything is vanity!_ the archangel thought, dropping the book and running his hand through his hair. The same bad feeling of guilt he felt clutching his chest and throat the night he slept on the floor of Aziraphale's room came back in full force. _Was I really like this? Was I a presumptuous sinner and never realized? Oh, God, why didn't you stop me before? I deserved to be punished centuries ago!_

"Gabriel?" the blond's voice called him back from his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"No." he would not commit another sin, lying, and say that he was feeling well. "I'm not!"

“Uh, sorry! I think I said too much. It’s not my position to judge yo— “

"Merciful Christ!" Gabriel cut him off, disturbed. “It’s not possible that I strayed so far the Good Path without realizing it. Without Falling. In hindsight, I should have... I should...! ”

"Shhhh, hush." asked Aziraphale, approaching and placing his hand on the archangel's shoulder. “I have been where you are and I know how excruciating the feeling of guilt and regret can be. I, too, several times, wondered if we really were much better than the demons. Especially when I compared myself to Crowley.”

"Ugh!" Gabriel grabbed the armrest of the chair where he was and squeezed it so hard it tore the fabric. “We shouldn't be like that! We are angels, we should be perfect!”

"Nobody is perfect but God, Gabriel."

"But... we are Her children!"

"Demons too." the blonde smiled warmly. “Humans too. Just like animals, plants, planets and stars. We all came from Her. And we all have our degrees of imperfections.”

"Y-yes, we have." the brunette sighed, feeling defeated. “But... I can't understand. Armageddon should be part of Her plan, shouldn't it? But, looking back, it would just be a battle where... where ... siblings would kill themselves! Oh, how could I not consider this? Spilling the family's blood... even if it's from a demon... is wrong! ”

“In this case, it’s good that the war didn’t happen, isn’t it? And, look, the war was prevented by an angel and a demon working together as brothers, haha! It's not interesting?"

Aziraphale's tone was playful, but Gabriel was not enjoying himself at all. Once again, unpleasant thoughts traveled through his mind, clashing with guilt and regret.

 _How serious were our sins?!_ he wondered, rubbing his face. _Oh, Father, Father... forgive us, we didn't know what we were doing! And to think that we could have destroyed so many wonderful creations of yours! So many siblings! Glad that Crowley and Aziraphale stopped us! And how good that they survived their unjust executions, otherwise...!_

_Otherwise..._

The archangel looked up and faced Aziraphale. The Principality's expression was of concern for its former chief. But, inside Gabriel's guilty mind, what he saw in the blonde was an expression of pain.

He remembered the nightmare in which Aziraphale was dismembered by Thrones angels.

He remembered the hellfire.

And he imagined the scene that never happened.

Aziraphale, one of the saviors of the Earth, so noble, so brave, so... adorable! In front of Gabriel, his guilty mind illustrated how horrible and painful the Principality's death would be. His light hair melted, his skin peeled from the scorched flesh, his deafening scream of pain, his eyes bursting in their sockets from the heat, the smell of burning flesh and blood ...

**_No!!!_ **

Gabriel got up from the chair and hugged Aziraphale tightly. Even his wings, white, huge and beautiful, manifested themselves in the material world and closed themselves on them, as if they were trying to protect them from any imminent attack.

_What did I ALMOST do?!_

It had been millennia since the last time Gabriel had cried. If it were any other occasion, he would be ashamed of crying in front of someone else. _Pride, ah, my stupid pride!_ he thought, without leaving Aziraphale. The irrational thought that he might lose him if he released him took over his being, making the fear of Fall pale in comparison.

He was shaking so badly he barely noticed when the blond returned the hug.

"It's okay, Gabriel." the whispered voice in his ear made him shudder again, but in a different way. “It's okay, do you hear me? I'm fine and so are you.”

Gently, he led the taller angel to the sofa. Gabriel still couldn't let go of his arms and just pressed the Principality's body even harder against his own, whimpering on his shoulder. With a soft hand, Aziraphale patted his back and then ran his hands through his sweaty hair.

"It's all right, dear boy. We're safe here.” he said, trying to calm him down. “Forgive me for speaking to you that way, it was not my intention to leave you in this state. Now, please, calm yourself. It's everything all right."

Gabriel's wings disappeared, indicating that the archangel was already calmer. Still, he didn't want to leave Aziraphale, even though he knew they were safe at the moment.

He never wanted to let go.

...........................................

Truth be told, Aziraphale always got everything he wanted from Crowley.

The demon kept saying that he was not ‘kind,’ that he wouldn’t be watching Zira all the time, he wouldn’t attend to his every whim every moment. But those were lies. Like any demon, Crowley was good at lying.

Upon realizing that his angel had left their room, the redhead muttered something and got up from the bed. Zira had probably gone to the bookstore to find something else to read. Under normal circumstances, Crowley wouldn't mind going down there, but Gabriel was with them. He thought it best to just check it out to see if everything was okay.

And before he finished going down the stairs...

Crowley felt his heart turn to stone and fall to the bottom of his stomach when he saw that scene. Gabriel and Aziraphale hugged on the couch. A hug that seemed to be much more than a simple warmth between friends. A lot more.

Aziraphale always got everything he wanted.


	7. Chapter 7

When powerful white wings, with a tad of lavander, enveloped his body, Aziraphale was terrified. For a moment, he thought he was suffering an attack from Gabriel, but then he felt the archangel's strong arms wrap around him.

Soon after he began to hear the soft murmur of the archangel's whimper. He was shaking, gripping the Principality even more tightly, almost choking him. In all his more than six thousand years of existence, Aziraphale never imagined seeing a scene like this.

Gabriel was crying.

Gabriel was crying on his shoulder.

He knew that the archangel had cried before at least once: when Jesus died. Naturally, because theoretically Gabriel was his ‘father’. The sad event was the only moment when the Principality noticed a slight desire to rise up against a Divine Plan coming from the purple-eyed angel. He would have descended on Earth three days before Holy Supper to warn Jesus and suggest that he flee, but the messiah refused. That was also the only moment that Gabriel had acted as a guardian angel before - and, like all guardian angels, they cannot interfere with their protégé's free will.

Cautiously, the blond returned the hug.

"It's okay, Gabriel." he whispered in his ear, straining to breathe in the grip of the embrace. “It's okay, do you hear me? I'm fine and so are you.”

Aziraphale led the taller angel to the sofa, patting him on the back to calm him down. He brought one of his hands to Gabriel's head and realized that he was so nervous he was sweating and his body was still shaking a little.

"It's all right. We are safe here.” the blond tried to keep his voice steady. He was feeling guilty for being the reason the archangel was in that state. As much as he and Gabriel had their differences, he was still like a brother to him.

"Forgive me for speaking to you that way." he continued, still with regret in his voice. “It was not my intention to leave you in this state. Now, please stay calm. It's all right."

Gabriel's wings disappeared, indicating that the archangel was already calmer. Even so, he did not want to leave Aziraphale, nor did the Principality want to leave him. And then, the blond felt a sudden urge to comfort Gabriel with his lips. Something he had never felt before - they were like brothers, but not _so close_ brothers.

Gently, he planted a soft kiss on the archangel's cheek, feeling the warmth emanating from his skin and the slight tremor that had not yet left his body. This made the vicious grip he had around the blond loosen up a little and his whimper change to a soft murmur.

Smiling, Aziraphale kissed him on the cheek again. And again. And only a small spark of doubt, mixed with guilt, prevented him from tilting his head and kissing the archangel on the lips.

And it was in this short interval that the demon attacked.

"Crowley?!" the angel exclaimed, seeing Gabriel being pulled out of his arms by the demon. “Crowley, wait! This is...!"

But before he finished the sentence, the redhead headbutted Gabriel. The archangel became unbalanced, but he remained standing because Crowley was holding him by the collar.

"You are NOT taking him away from me!!!" shouted the redhead.

The demon's voice sounded terrifying, his yellow eyes were wide and only a black line crossed them. You could see signs of black scales appearing under the skin. Crowley was on the verge of becoming a giant snake. A furious giant snake.

"W-what ...?!" without understanding the reason for that attack, Gabriel just cast a look of astonishment at Crowley, while caressing his sore forehead. "What are y—"

Crowley's heavy fist hit him in the mouth, cutting the phrase - and the lip - of the archangel in half. A few drops of blood flew.

"You will not!" shouted the demon, punching Gabriel a second time. “Did you fucking hear me!? You _DO NOT_ have the right to take Aziraphale from _ME!!!_ ”

"Crowley, STOP!!!"

The angel rose to take the demon's fist, but not before he delivered a third and final punch to the archangel's face. The sound of his nose being broken was distressing to hear.

Crowley released Gabriel, thrown him on the floor like a trash bag. Aziraphale held him and forced him away from the archangel. The demon was breathing hard, his face red with emotion, tears streaming from his yellow eyes and his injured knuckles, stained both by his blood and Gabriel's blood.

"Calm down, please!" Aziraphale continued to hold him tightly. “No one is going to take me away from you, Crowley! This is all a misunderstanding!”

"Do NOT lie!" the demon's voice was shaking with anguish. "Don’t lie to me! I ... I saw it! You were both...! ”

"I ... I w-was just comforting a friend!" he said, feeling a spark of guilt again.

"You _can't_ be friends with someone who tried to kill you!"

"This is _my_ decision, Crowley!" the angel roared, furious.

The two stared at each other for long, tense seconds. A little more controlled, Crowley bowed his head.

"I’m not… I never...!" the redhead rubbed his face. "Oh, fuck! Fuckfuckfuck, I cannot… uh!" he sobbed, tearful and genuinely sorry. "I am so afraid of losing you!"

"Dear boy." Aziraphale held Crowley's tearful face and kissed him on the forehead. “I’m sorry, I didn't know it was being so difficult for you to deal with all this. Sorry, sorry!" he hugged him tightly. "I don't want to lose you either, Crowley."

The couple embraced for a few moments, with the blonde caressing his boyfriend's shoulders and back. He also needed a lot of support, a lot of affection, and the Principality denied him that in the last few days. _I'm an idiot!_ he thought. _What a great angel I am in not realizing the suffering around me!_

"Sorry." Crowley repeated, rubbing his nose. “Shit… I fucked up, didn't I? Hey, Gabe! Sorry, mate!" he turned to face the archangel. And it was only then that Aziraphale also remembered the presence of his ex-boss.

"Gabriel?" the Principality called, looking at the man lying beside the sofa with his face full of blood.

"Oh, shit." if before Crowley's face was flushed with emotion, now his skin was turning pale. "He... he's not moving!"

…………………………………….

Heaven's corridors were made of white walls and shiny floors. They were wide and long, allowing you to hear the echo of the soles of your shoes hitting the floor.

Gabriel walked the corridors alone, looking around. He was surprised that he didn't see any more angels besides him in the room, but he kept moving forward towards...

He had forgotten where he was going. To his office? To another archangel's office? For the war post to speak to soldier angels? He didn't know where he was going, he just knew he needed to keep walking. And after a few minutes he arrived in a wide space, even clearer than the previous ones - although it was practically impossible, there is no place clearer than Heaven.

There was a person in the large room. A woman, dressed in a janitor’s uniform, the orange color clashing enormously in the white space, was cleaning the floor. A scene that didn't make any sense, because Heaven didn't need cleaning.

"Excuse me." Gabriel approached, reluctantly. "What do you think you’re doing?"

The woman turned her attention from the floor and looked at the archangel. Her face was inquisitive, with expression marks of someone in her fifties. The short hair was gray and the eyes were pale blue. She smiled.

"I'm cleaning up the mess that was left here." she said. And her voice, for some reason, made Gabriel recoil, although it was not a particularly powerful or threatening voice. "It seems that, in the last millennia, my job has always been this: to clean up my children's mess."

"Your children?" Gabriel asked, now certain that the woman was not an angel. "Who are they? And how could they make a mess here in Heaven?”

"They make a mess everywhere." she returned her attention to the floor. “But I suppose I should be grateful. If a portion of my older children were not stopped, the mess they would make would be much, much worse. ”

"What are...?" the angel began to run out of patience, until he looked at the ground. He realized that Heaven's immaculate floor was smudged with soot and something gross. “Ugh! What happened here?"

"A fratricide." the woman sighed in frustration. “Well, it's not like these things don't happen all the time, unfortunately, but I was hoping that at least here it wouldn't happen. I was wrong. One brother burned another to death in the very heart of Heaven.”

Gabriel was about to ask who had done this, but he gave the bucket of dirty water beside the woman a startled look. Inside it was what looked like a burnt piece of cloth. More specifically a burnt tartan bow tie.

"Aziraphale?!" the archangel exclaimed, reaching into the dirty water to pick up the bow tie. "But what...? No! He is alive! I ... I don't ...!”

When he looked to the side, the woman was already gone. And when he looked at his hands again, he realized that they were not soaked with dirty water, but blood.

"No!" he exclaimed, trying unsuccessfully to use a miracle to clean his hands. "I didn’t do it! Aziraphale is alive! I didn't kill him! ”

WHAT MATTERS IS INTENTION

A frightening voice made Gabriel tremble. He knew that voice. Even after so long, he knew that voice.

His older brother's voice.

"Samael...?!" he wanted to turn his head to face the owner of the voice, but he didn't have the courage. "No! Lucifer...! Satan!"

HEH, HOW LONG, GABRIEL the voice boomed, powerful, making the whole white room begin to fill with darkness. THEN, HAVE YOU GOT SCOLDED BY MOM? HAH, THAT OLD HAG! THAT'S WHY I REBELLED

"S-shut up!" he trembled, but tried to keep his back as straight as possible. “Don't you dare mention God, filthy creature! You don’t deserve even talk about Her!"

OH NO? AND WHY NOT?

“Because you disobeyed God and started a war! Many of our siblings died by your hand!”

LOOK WHO IS TALKING! HAVE YOU NOT KILLED SEVERAL ALSO IN THE PAST? Lucifer's menacing presence began to approach the archangel. It was possible to feel the warmth of his infernal body burning his back. AND WASN'T YOU GOING TO KILL OTHER VARIOUS DURING ARMAGEDDON?

"You are no longer my brother!" shouted Gabriel, clenching his fists, still not looking back. “No demon is an angel's sibling! No longer! You are all fiends!”

AND YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN US, FRATICIDE!

"I'm not...!" the archangel swallowed. "I ... I didn't kill any angel...!"

YES, YOU KILLED it was now possible for Gabriel to feel Satan's breath on his neck. BEFORE WE WERE FALLEN, THE REBELDING ANGELS WERE STILL ANGELS! YOU ARE A FRATICIDE, LIKE ME! THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT YOUR SIDE WON THE WAR

"Me? No...!"

... AND I SAY MORE! YOU WERE STILL ABOUT TO KILL ONE OF OUR INNOCENT BROTHERS! NOTHING ANYTHING LESS THAN THAT THE FAT STUPID THAT HAS STOPPED MY WAR PLANS!

“Aziraphale? No... he's alive... I don't...! " Gabriel looked around and realized that he was no longer in Heaven, but in a dark place, with a low ceiling and scorching heat. Hellfire shone everywhere. "Where I am?!?"

YOU ARE WHERE YOU DESERVE TO BE... IN HELL!

"No! I obeyed the Divine Plan!” Gabriel was squinting, trying to contain his tears. “I… I defeated the traitors and I was going to defeat them again! I would...!"

KILL YOUR OWN SIBLINGS, FRATICIDE!

"No, I’m not!" and Gabriel turned to face the hideous figure of Satan.

But, what was behind him, it was nothing horrendous.

He was a tall man, with long blond hair and an angelic face. His wings were a pure white, almost difficult to face. That was Samael, the Light Bearer. Or, at least, it had been Samael. After his Fall, he became a hideous figure. But at that moment, he looked like a shining angel, nowhere near the Fall that transformed him forever.

YOU LOOKED BACK the beautiful angel smiled. IN HELL, DON'T LOOK BACK, FRATICIDE

"No... _no_... _NO!!!"_

Gabriel felt that his body was being pulled to the infernal ground. Not by the effect of gravity, but by the effect of a much greater force. Much more powerful. A weight he was unable to bear on his shoulders.

His own guilt.

"Gabriel!" an afflicted voice called him out of the darkness. "Please, wake up!"

And it was at this moment that the archangel opened his eyes.

He felt his entire body numb, as if he had been immobile for hundreds of years. There was a taste of iron in his mouth and a slight pain in his nose. But he was unable to reach out to scratch it, as both his hands were being held by someone.

"Az-azira... phale?" he murmured, his voice was weak and sleepy.

"Oh, thank God!" the Principality's expression of relief was evident. "I thought you had... discorporated!"

"Discorporated?" he frowned and it made his nose hurt even more. He was lying on the bed in the blond's room and no longer in the bookstore where he remembered he was before he blacked out. "Ouch...! W-what happened?"

He saw Aziraphale swallowing and looking at his right. Crowley was there, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well, in my defense..." the demon started to speak. "... I thought that you, being an archangel and all, would resist much more in a fight than just passing out on the third punch."

"Crowley!" the blond exclaimed. "Apologize! And miracle a wet handkerchief for Gabriel now!”

"Sorry, Gabe!" the redhead bit his lip and, with a snap of his fingers, a wet handkerchief appeared in his hands.

Taking the handkerchief from Crowley's hands, Aziraphale gently touched the archangel's face while his other hand was over his head. The sound of the nose bone coming back into place was unpleasant, but at least Gabriel was no longer in pain. The Principality carefully wiped the blood off his face and performed a final miracle to heal a wound on his upper lip.

"There, jolly good." the blond smiled, stroking the archangel's hair affectionately. "Still hurts?"

Gabriel knew that the moment he said 'no' that nice hand would leave his head. He never wanted to lie as much as in that moment.

"It stopped hurting." he said, sincerely, and what followed was even more sincere. "But... you can still take care of me anyway."

Aziraphale's eyes widened, blushing at Gabriel's words. He opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out of it. The one who ended up speaking was Crowley, who rose from the bed so abruptly that he rocked the mattress.

"Well, since you two already got a room, I'm going out!" his tone was one of anger and frustration.

"Crowley, wait!" the angel got up from the bed and almost received the door in his face, opening it immediately and casting a worried look at the archangel. "Er... are you okay there, Gabriel? I won't be long!” without giving the taller angel time to respond, he closed the door and went after Crowley.

Gabriel sat on the bed and noticed a drop of blood - his blood - on his lapel. He wiped it away with a small miracle and stroked his nose again. It didn't hurt anymore, although his pride was still a little hurt.

 _I’m such a great guardian angel!_ he thought, still trying to understand everything that had happened and, above all, trying to recover from the nightmare he had just had. _I think I am the one who needs protection._


	8. Chapter 8

In situations of great anxiety Crowley always preferred to drink something alcoholic, but not this time. He needed to have a clear mind for a serious conversation between him and Aziraphale.

The angel came from the kitchen with two cups of chamomile tea in his hands and handed one to the demon. Crowley sipped the liquid with pleasure, sighing and feeling calmer. He was sitting on the sofa in the bookstore while the blond positioned himself in the opposite armchair.

"About what happened here, just now..." Aziraphale started, turning the cup of tea in his fingers.

" 'sall right." the demon said, his voice denoting defeat. "You guys are angels. I imagine it’s natural among you angels to treat each other this way, with more... uh ... intimacy. "

"No." Aziraphale narrowed his eyes. “It’s not natural. I mean, it should be natural, but it isn't. My side doesn’t have this kind of physical approach. But even so, the situation here was quite unusual. Gabriel was crying. And I, well, I needed to comfort him in some way.”

There was a brief silence after that statement. Crowley shifted in his spot and asked, "He's not always like that, innit?"

"He's never like that." the blond finished his tea and placed the cup on the coffee table. “I never saw Gabriel in that state. I imagine that this whole situation is affecting him more deeply than I imagined. Gabriel was always shallow, evasive, a straight-forward kind of an angel. But with Non-Armageddon and his sentence of being my guardian angel it must have really affected him.”

"For better or for worse?"

"For the better, of course." Aziraphale smiled. “Finally, after millennia, he is experiencing earthly things a little more, as I have always advised him. It changes our perspective on things, doesn't it? And I think he is having a little internal conflict with the whole situation. My relationship with him has always been that of a boss and employee working distant from each other, but now he is forced to stay by my side all the time. I think we are both becoming friends.”

"Or something else." the demon pointed out, casting a fierce look at the angel.

Aziraphale shifted in his armchair, uncomfortable. He said: “I will not deny that Gabriel has grown in me these past few days. Spending more time with him, I could see his side. He didn't play the nasty boss just on a whim, he really believed that this was how he should act. That what he was doing was correct. And who could deny it? He is an archangel and archangels should always be right.”

Crowley laughed and threw his head back. Then he nodded to Aziraphale to continue.

“But now he has been questioned in his actions for the first time in his existence. Better yet: he is questioning himself. That's nice. I believe he is changing for the better.”

"You can't expect a complete change." the demon winced. "It's not like he can transform himself from a complete asshole to a good person in such a short time."

"Who knows? Or maybe it's the opposite: he was always a good person and became an asshole because he thought that was how an angelic leadership should act.”

"Do you believe that?"

“We were all pure and naive one day, Crowley, at the beginning of Creation. Yes, I believe that there is a good person inside Gabriel and that now, on fertile ground like the current one, he is starting to flourish.”

"Heh, if he was one of my plants I would have already thrown him into the blender."

“But he is not a plant, he is an archangel. And I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that he is changing for the better. And I believe... he is also taking a place in my heart.”

Another silence, longer this time.

"Do you love him?" Crowley asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Do you love him?" the demon repeated, leaning forward. "Not as a brother or friend, but ... do you love him, uh, just as you love me?"

"Not like I love you." Aziraphale said, his look and voice were full of sincerity. "Never like I love you." he got up and knelt before Crowley, taking his hands and kissing their backs. “You’re my great and true love, dear boy. You’re my life, my soul. Anything I can feel for Gabriel doesn't compare to what I feel and I will always feel for you.”

This was exactly what Crowley needed to hear. The joy he felt at those words only rivaled the moment when he and Aziraphale gave their first kiss, shortly after Non-Armageddon.

Thrilled, the demon leaned over and kissed Aziraphale, pulling him close to him. The warmth of his body, his aura and his whole being enveloped him, making him feel loved. In that instant all the worries and doubts that had been anguishing him in the last few days disappeared like smoke.

"I'm going."

Aziraphale and Crowley broke the kiss when they heard Gabriel's voice. The archangel was at the foot of the stairs, his back straight and his hands in his pockets.

"What?!" the blond was startled. "Gabriel, what are you talking about?"

"I am going back to Heaven." the taller angel said, looking down. “My presence here is not necessary, not to mention that I am disturbing you. I will leave you alone.”

"Whoa, wait!" Crowley said, raising his hand. “But aren't you Aziraphale's guardian angel? Don't you need to be around to protect him?”

"He has a much better, and more dedicated, protector in you than me." the archangel smiled, but it was a fake smile. "Besides, if something happens... which I really don't want to happen... but if something happens, I think my punishment with the Fall would be adequate."

"What?!" the blond stood up. "Gabriel! What are you talking about? I already said that I forgave you!”

"You have a better and more merciful soul than mine." the archangel shrugged. “Take care, Aziraphale. And you too, Crowley. I really wish you two were well... ”He paused and raised his hand, about to snap his fingers. "... my dear brothers."

"Gabriel, wait...!"

But the archangel had already snapped his fingers and disappeared.

……………………………………………

Heaven's corridors were made of white walls and shiny floors. They were wide and long, allowing you to hear the echo of the soles of your shoes hitting the floor.

Gabriel walked the corridors alone, looking around. Before proceeding to his office, he rolled up his shirt sleeve and pinched himself on the arm.

"Ouch, great!" he said, stroking the skin. “It’s not an illusion this time. I really am here.”

"Oh, Gabriel!" a familiar voice called out to him. "Back so soon?"

The one who had called him was Cassiel, a Virtue who took care of the terrestrial observation part. He almost never left his post and the archangel was surprised to see him with papers in hand.

“Hello, Cassiel. Have you changed sectors?”

"It’s how it looks, doesn't it?" the angel gestured towards the papers he was holding. "Someone has to do this job, since you, Uriel, Sandalphon and Michael are out."

"Michael?! Wait, as I remember it was Uriel and Sandalphon, for collaborating with me in trying to execute Aziraphale, who were sentenced to a hundred years of missionary work on Earth, right?”

“Yes, exactly. I heard that they are having a hard time adjusting... oh, well, they still have 99 years, eleven months and three weeks to get used to.”

“And Michael? Why is she out of the office?”

“Did you forget that she also contributed to an ill-fated execution? The execution of the demon Crowley.”

"Oh, it's true." Gabriel nodded. "I never knew what her punishment was."

"She's an intern in Hell."

"What?!" the archangel's purple eyes widened. "But... but how… ?!"

"It seems that her connections to the demons went much deeper than we all imagined." Cassiel winced. “But stamping documents for Hell's administrative assistants shouldn't be expanding her friendships too much. It seems that several demons are provoking and mocking her all the time. It shouldn't be a more pleasant situation than missionary work.”

"Well, it sure is no better than being Aziraphale's guardian angel." he smiled.

"So, have you gotten used to your punishment?"

"Uh?!"

“Metatron commented that you were in a panic when you received the sentence. You even begged to take the penalty of Uriel and Sandalphon together instead of having to be Aziraphale's guardian angel.”

“Yes, but today I see that I had a very fortuitous sentence. The Almighty was, as always, very wise in... ”

"Speaking of which, why are you here?" Cassiel interrupted him, raising an eyebrow. "You should be protecting Aziraphale now, shouldn't you?"

"I'm here to present the weekly report on how my work is going." the lie was convincing, since Gabriel had been rehearsing it in his head for several minutes. “By the way, I'm late. Excuse me."

"Good job!" exclaimed Cassiel, watching the archangel stride to his office.

Before the white and immaculate door that had its name, the archangel took a deep breath and pushed it away. His office was exactly the way he had left it and this was both a relief and a concern. He knew that after the week he spent on Earth, things could never be what they were before.

With a flick of his hand, he sealed its doors and windows. No one would enter or even contact him without his permission. His entire office became a white cube, with no way out. With slow steps, he sat down at his desk and made all the work papers accumulated on it disappear. He wasn't going to do anything bureaucratic that day. And not even in the next few days.

Gabriel felt tainted, as if something evil had been inserted into him and he was no longer pure. But the truth is that this evil thing has always been there and he just covered it up under layers of pride and vanity.

 _I was never pure_. he thought, looking at his own hands. _Perhaps I was at the time of my creation, but now... Aziraphale, who has been around for thousands of years with humans and indulge himself in so many sins as gluttony and lust, he is more pure than me. Fuck, even that demon Crowley is purer than me!_ he clenched his fists so hard that his nails hurt his palms.

As if guilt wasn't enough, another thing he was feeling was envy. The way Aziraphale and Crowley complemented each other, the love and complicity between them, even in the moments of nitpicking. The way the demon attacked him, without even worrying about his own safety (truth be told: Gabriel could have discorporate him, if he wanted to) showed him what it meant to be truly in love with someone, even out in the form of a feeling as negative as anger.

But even where there was anger, understanding and tenderness were strongest. The archangel could hear part of the conversation Aziraphale and Crowley had in the bookstore. Knowing that Gabriel had won the affection of the Principality was good to hear, but at the same time it only increased his feeling of guilt and opened up the truth to him: he, who should be an entity made of love, didn’t emanate love for a long time. Even a demon was more capable of loving than he was.

Aziraphale and Crowley really loved each other. And there is no greater sin than destroying love, something Gabriel almost did with his pride and arrogance. That odd couple, the true champions of the Earth, were perfectly fine together. They always have been and always would be.

Gabriel was the offensive element. He wasn’t useful as a guardian angel. He wasn’t useful as head of the heavenly cabinet. He wasn’t useful as a commander in a war that would never happen. He was useless. A complete failure. He probably wouldn't even be a decent demon if he Falls.

Gabriel wanted to be dead.


	9. Chapter 9

It was eight in the evening when Aziraphale knelt before the bed and began to pray. Crowley stood outside the room, waiting for his boyfriend to finish his prayers. This was unusual, even though he was an angel, Aziraphale had not the habit of praying. Still, he was praying fervently.

He was trying to contact Gabriel. The first attempt was a few hours after the archangel left the bookshop. He tried the easiest method: to call his guardian angel's name, but he wasn’t answered.

"I think he wants to be alone now." Crowley suggested, trying to calm the Principality who was very concerned about how the archangel had left the bookshop that morning.

Aziraphale agreed and didn’t call him for another pair of hour. But his nervousness continued and he tried again. And again. And again. Finally, he decided to use the traditional method of kneeling and praying. And even that wasn't working. He concentrated on the figure of Gabriel, tried to reach him, but he couldn't.

He uncrossed his fingers and clapped his hands impatiently on the bed.

"Gabriel!" still kneeling, the blond looked up and exclaimed. "Where are you?!"

"This is not how it works, angel." said Crowley, opening the door.

"I know!" he leaned his forehead on the bed. “Ugh, why I can't find him? This should work! Maybe I should try to do the circle and candle ritual?”

"Hey, the last time you tried this, you discorporate!"

"Yes, but it could be a better... oh!" the angel inhaled. "I forgot. They cut off my contact with Heaven by this method after the Non-Armageddon incident.”

"Well, and what else is left for you to do?"

“Should I go to Heaven's Door? Call for someone?”

"No! It can be dangerous!" the redhead warned. "I think you better try to pray again tomorrow, maybe it will be easier to contact him next time."

"Something is wrong, very wrong!" the Principality's hands were shaking. “And it's not just the fact I can't contact him! Even if he didn't want to talk to me anymore, I would still feel him! But ... but I don't feel him anymore!”

"Shit." Crowley could no longer hide his concern, but he still tried to rationalize. “Listen, Gabe is an archangel. He knew how to take care of himself for all these six thousand years. Perhaps he has managed to cut off communication so that no one bothers him. We all need time alone, don't we? Some longer than others.”

"Well... fine..." the angel looked uncertain, but tried to hold on to that possibility. “I, uh, I think I'm going to wait until tomorrow. But if tomorrow I am unable to contact him again, I will go to the Heaven’s Door.”

"With me!"

"Of course, love." Aziraphale kissed the demon on the lips. "Always by your side."

“So… are we going to bed? This day was full of emotions.”

"Sure."

That night the two made love, but not in the intense and passionate way they always did. Crowley did his best to relax Aziraphale. It works for several minutes, but it was possible to feel the angel's restlessness even during sex. After that, they decided to sleep. Well, the demon fell asleep, the Principality remained awake all night, trying to focus on his new book, to no avail.

Aziraphale had to reread the same paragraph three times, until he gave up. He put the book and his glasses aside and stared at the ceiling of the room, allowing himself to be swayed by Crowley's gentle breathing sleeping with his head on his bare chest. The blond stroked the strands of red hair, but couldn't help thinking about Gabriel's brown hair.

 _He was so gloomy._ the blonde remembered the moment when the archangel started crying on his shoulder. _Gabriel is not used to dealing with emotions... it was never his forte. He has no basis for that. A tree that lives on dry land learns to take deep roots, but Gabriel... his roots are shallow enough for him to be knocked down in the first wind._

Those thoughts were definitely not helping Aziraphale to sleep.

With a snap of his fingers, he teleported off the bed, leaving a large pillow in his place for Crowley to hug. With another snap of his fingers, he was already dressed and ready to leave the bookshop.

"Sorry, dear boy." he murmured, leaving the room.

……………………………………………………

Being the Heaven’s doorman wasn’t one of the most prestigious jobs for an angel. Usually it was the human saints who took care of this task, but St. Peter was on vacation and St. Anthony was doing home office. So it was Samuel who was taking care of this task.

As soon as he saw Aziraphale approaching the doors, he tensed in his uncomfortable chair.

"Hold!" the angel exclaimed. "You are not allowed to enter!"

"Why not?" was the Principality's petulant question. “Although I was declared a traitor, I was acquitted and those who tried to execute me were punished! In fact, it's because of one of them that I'm here!”

"One thing has nothing to do with the other!" said Samuel, crossing his arms. “Your execution may have been a wrong act, but your heavenly privileges haven’t yet been restored. You cannot enter, Aziraphale.”

“Oh, it's fine! I don't need to enter! I just need you to call Gabriel here.”

“Call Gabriel? Isn't he with you? ”

"No. He... he went back to Heaven.”

"Uh, I don't think he came by."

“Oh, Lord Almighty! Archangels don't need to use the gates of Heaven and you know it!”

"Hmm, true." Samuel scratched his chin. “But are you sure he's here? After all, I was informed that he would play the role of your guardian angel.”

“He, uh… he had to come back because… ah… bureaucratic things! Anyway, can you call him? Please?"

"Just a moment."

Closing his eyes, the doorman angel began to launch his mental call across Heaven. If Gabriel were really there, he would hear him.

But there was no answer.

"Gabriel is not here."

"How can he not?!" the Principality seemed to be alarmed. "He has to be here!"

"Are you sure he isn't on Earth?"

“Uh... I, I don't know! Please, Samuel! Try to call him again!”

"Tsk, fine!"

Again, Samuel made the mental call and wasn’t answered. With a grimace, he addressed Aziraphale.

“Gabriel is not here! Stop wasting my time.”

"Waste your time?! And are you doing anything more important than just sitting there doing nothing?”

"Hey, respect me!"

"Then respect the hierarchy!" the blond angel's voice sounded authoritative. “Even though my heavenly privileges have not yet been restored, I am still a Principality and you’re an Angel! Try to contact Gabriel directly with his office, this is an order!”

"Ugh!" with no option, the angel grunted and complied.

He once again closed his eyes and tried to contact Gabriel's office, already hoping that he would receive no response. However, what he felt was something different.

"That's weird." the angel murmured, opening his eyes. "I can't find Gabriel's office."

"What?!"

“Gabriel's office. It looks like it... it just ceased to exist.”

The two angels were silent for a moment, until Aziraphale exclaimed.

"Let me in! Please, Samuel!”

"You cannot enter."

"But something is really wrong with Gabriel!" the blonde's voice sounded distressed. “This is not normal! He wouldn't make his office disappear for nothing! Let me in, please! I need to talk to him!"

"You don't even know if he's here in Heaven."

"Let me look for him!"

"For the last time, you cannot enter!" Samuel decreed angrily. “Even though your hierarchy is higher than mine, my job of guarding the gates of Heaven takes priority! If you insist on trying to get in, I will fight you!”

It was not the most sensible decision, as Samuel knew that Aziraphale was more powerful than he. Especially after the rumor that spread that he couldn't be hurt by hellfire. The low-ranking angel was almost rethinking his decision when the Principality simply sighed.

"Please, find Gabriel!" he said, defeated.

"Don't worry, if I see him around here I will remind him that he needs to be on Earth doing his job."

Without saying another word, Aziraphale turned his back on the Gates of Heaven and left, leaving Samuel to breathe with relief.

…………………………………………

The London night was freezing and Aziraphale could feel the chill in his core. Partly because he was distressed by Gabriel disappearance.

He thought two, three, even four times before getting into a fight with Samuel. Not that he was unable to beat a lower rank angel in combat, but his fear lay in the fact that he could injure himself, even slightly, during the battle. This could cause problems for the archangel.

Walking aimlessly through the streets, his feet took him to Hyde Park (which was closed at that time). Whenever he came to contact Aziraphale, Gabriel took the opportunity to jog in the park. He was a very predictable angel, always performing his same routines century after century.

But now he has been pushed out of his comfort zone. Everything was different and Gabriel was not good at dealing with the unexpected. But Aziraphale was not the only one concerned that night. The moment the Principality sat on one of the park benches, he could feel the presence of someone very angry approaching him.

"Aaaaaangel!" it was Crowley, running towards him. “How _dare_ you leave without me?! You went to Heaven's door, didn't you? Asshole! I told you to just go there with me!”

"Forgive me." the Principality's voice was weak. “I couldn't help it... I couldn't stand to wait another minute. And I feared that your presence there could also create confusion. But you don't have to worry... well, at least you don't have to worry about me.”

"Why? What did Gabriel tell you?”

“This is the point! I couldn’t talk to him!" Aziraphale's blue eyes were filled with anguish. "I don’t know where he is! Nobody knows where he is! He made his office disappear in Heaven! Crowley, I am really worried!”

"Calm down." the demon embraced him and stroked his back tenderly. "I already told you that Gabriel is a well-grown archangel and knows how to take care of himself."

"No, he doesn't know!" the Principality's tone of voice was stubborn. “At least he doesn't know how to deal with this type of situation. I ... I'm afraid that... I don't know! I am afraid that he will do something unthinkable!”

"Like what?"

Aziraphale bit his lip. The thought that crossed his mind was so terrible that he did not dare to voice it. He, who lived among humans for so long, especially among humans with emotional issues as writers and artists in general, knew very well how to recognize signs of depression. Worse, he knew very well how to know the signs of someone who was about to commit one of the greatest sins.

And it was thinking about it that he felt something dread.

"Ugh..." he broke Crowley's embrace. "Dear boy, are you... are you feeling this?"

"Yes." the redhead winced and looked at the floor. "And it's coming... from _here!_ "

The ground opened in an explosion of fire and sulfur. Angel and demon fell on their backs, stunned. Rocks, dirt and bits of the square bench flew through the air as red flames came out of the hole.

From inside it came a person dressed in filthy and burnt white clothes. It was Michael.

"Crowley." the archangel snarled at the redhead. "Aziraphale." she snarled at the blond as well.

"Mi-mich-a-ael...?!" the Principality barely managed to pronounce her name. "Ah... you... what are you doing here?!"

She didn’t answer. At least not with words. With a snap of her fingers, a bastard sword appeared in her hands. The blond felt his blood run cold inside his veins.

"Wait... _waaaaait!!!"_

The blow passed close enough to Aziraphale's head to cut a few strands of hair. Awkwardly he cast a protective shield around his body and prevented the sword from hitting him in the neck. But a Principality's protective miracles were no match for an archangel's attacking power.

“Michael! Why are you doing this?!"

"You still ask?! Imbecile!!!"

With a flick of her wrist, she spun the sword and it shattered the angel's protective shield, which disappeared like shining dust. The new attack would have hit him, had Crowley not immobilized Michael.

"Fucking wanker!" cried the demon, trying to immobilize her arms in a bear grip. "You are NOT going to hurt him!"

“Do you want to get in his place?! Good idea!"

Michael's wings spread and pushed Crowley away, hurting him on impact. The archangel's sword now glowed with divine fire. A single touch would be enough to reduce a body to ashes.

"Stop, Michael!" Aziraphale shouted, taking a more offensive stance when he saw his boyfriend being attacked. “Crowley and I were cleared! It has already been proven that our attempts at execution were unfair! If you were punished for this, he and I wouldn't...! ”

She swung the sword in the direction of the Principality, which this time was prepared. Although he was no longer in possession of his gladius, he could still cast some powerful offensive miracles. With a flick of his hand, he stopped Michael's blade and made the divine fire disappear.

"You’re responsible for my misfortune!" cried the archangel, turning the sword which, although it was no longer on fire, was still quite sharp. “You’re responsible for the misfortune of us all! Damn you! ”

"Michael!" Aziraphale tried to defend himself and avoid the blade. "Stop! This fight doesn't make sense!”

"Nothing else makes sense!" her voice was full of anger and anguish. "Nothing! The Great Plan is gone! My friend Ligur is gone! And you two get away with it! No! I don’t accept that! I didn't accept ... aaaaAH!!!”

Michael was again immobilized by Crowley, but not by his arms but by his body. The demon took the form of the giant snake. With his sinuous body, he trapped the archangel completely, causing her to drop the sword and then fall to the ground. With his fangs on display, he bit her on the neck.

Her scream lasted a few seconds, until it disappeared and she closed her eyes. Still holding the archangel's body, Crowley raised his head, as if to make sure the woman had passed out.

"Oh... dear Lord! Crowley... did you... discorporated her?"

 _No._ in the form of a snake, Crowley couldn't speak like a human, so he used his mind to communicate with the blond. _This bastard is just passed out. And if I were you I would be prepared, angel. I'm feeling that someone else is coming!_

In moments, the floor opened again, but without much ado as it did the last time. Lord Beelzebub appeared and she didn't look happy at all.

"Found her." said the demon, rubbing her nose. “Michael really is a troublemaker! I think we did a bad deal in accepting her as an intern.”

"Intern?!" Aziraphale looked shocked. "Is Michael interning in Hell?"

“Ah, you know… it involves your ill-fated execution. Everyone, both in Heaven and in Hell, is paying their share of shit for what happened.” Beelzebub sighed. "I imagine she tried to attack you, didn't she?"

 _She tried to kill us!_ Crowley's thought reached Beelzebub's mind. _For those who boast that no one escapes Hell, she even came out pretty easy!_

“Relax! I'll take care of it myself from now on.” the demon placed the archangel unconscious on her shoulders. "And please, you two, don't cross my path for the next millennia, will you?"

 _Likewise!_ thought Crowley, slowly returning to his human form.

In an instant, Beelzebub and Michael disappeared into the floor, leaving black smoke in place. The Principality can finally breathe easy.

"Oh, I can hardly believe it!" he was shaking his head. “Was Michael even punished? Well, I hope this is the last time someone tries to kill us! I already had my quota met by the next... uh, Crowley?"

It was at that moment that Aziraphale realized that the redhead was looking at him with a frightened expression.

“Crowley, dear? What is the problem?"

"Angel ..." the demon's voice was concerned. "... your arm!"

Aziraphale looked at his left arm and noticed that there was a wide cut that had torn the fabric of his precious coat and the dyed blood. In the heat of the fight, he didn't even realize that Michael had hurt him.

Aziraphale was injured. His guardian angel had failed to protect him.


	10. Chapter 10

Cassiel was focused on the endless pile of documents on his desk. Bureaucratic work in Heaven was delayed, as all four archangels were relocated from the sector. He and three other Virtues angels tried to fill the void, but it was difficult to keep pace.

 _Uh... Cassiel?_ a voice called to him in thought. It was Samuel, the Heaven’s doorman.

“Hello, Samuel. What's it?"

_Excuse me. Am I interrupting something?_

"Always!" the angel grunted. "But you can talk."

_Well, I... I think we have a problem._

"What problem?"

_Aziraphale appeared here at Heaven's door._

"Is this the problem?" disinterested, the Virtue almost stopped paying attention. "There is nothing wrong with Aziraphale appearing at Heaven's door."

_Uh, are you sure? Because he wanted to enter, but... I don't know, is he allowed to enter Heaven?_

“Hmmm, I think the document that updates his file must be somewhere here on my desk. But as far as I know, Metatron has restored his right to come and go.”

_Oh! So I think this is the problem! I didn't let him in and he just left several minutes ago._

“Okay, my mistake. I should have already updated his file and delivered it to all offices. Tomorrow I’ll ask Gabriel to give the news to Aziraphale, that he can now enter in Heaven again.”

_Ah yes! This is problem number two! He came here looking for Gabriel._

"What?" that made Cassiel direct all his attention to the doorman. “What do you mean, ‘he's looking for Gabriel’? Gabriel is Aziraphale's guardian angel. He should be by his side all the time.”

_But he said that Gabriel is not on Earth. I tried to look for him in Heaven, but I noticed that his office has disappeared._

"Uh?!" now Cassiel had risen from the chair. “What do you mean, ‘disappeared’?”

_It’s true! I tried to contact his office and didn’t find it. It's as if it disappeared into the air!_

“Go back to your post. I will contact you later.”

_At your service, sir._

The Virtue left his office and ran towards Gabriel's office. And he witnessed, astonished, an immaculate white wall, with no opening whatsoever. The place where a door should have been was empty.

Samuel was too low a rank angel to realize this, but Gabriel's office still existed in Heaven. The office had not simply 'disappeared'. He was still there, but with his access blocked.

"Gabriel? I know you are there! Gabriel!" Cassiel called, but to no avail. The block was too powerful and he, a Virtue, wouldn’t be able to break it. Only another archangel could do this.

Or someone with more power than an archangel.

“Metatron? Voice of God, please hear my call!”

In moments the shape of the head of the mighty Seraphim appeared before Cassiel.

"You called me and I came." said the Voice of God. "What do you want?"

"Metatron, please, I need your assistance."

"I already told you that I don't know how to use Excel spreadsheets, Cassiel."

“Oh, it's not that… for now." the angel cleared his throat. “I need your help to open the door to Gabriel's office. It looks like he locked himself in there and I can't contact him anymore.”

"Hmmmm ..." the voice sounded cryptic. "I imagine he doesn't want to be disturbed."

"This is not his choice!" said Cassiel, petulant. “He has a job to do! It's Aziraphale's guardian angel! He can't just get away from work!”

“Very well, I will open the door for you. I imagine Gabriel is starting to understand.”

"Uh? Understand what?"

But the Voice of God did not give Cassiel an answer, but merely made the door to Gabriel's office materialize in front of him and then his head disappeared. With a resolute step, the angel opened the door and entered the room. And the first thing he saw were feathers scattered on the floor.

 _Um, is Gabriel about to molt?_ the angel knelt and picked up one of the large white feathers scattered on the floor. _He should do this elsewhere. Changing feathers inside the office is not hygienic… Hmm?_

It was at this time that Cassiel realized that the feathered calamus has clotted blood. This was not normal. During the molting of the feathers, they fall naturally. But that one looked like it had been pulled out painfully. A quick inspection showed that they had all been uprooted. And some still had fresh blood.

"Gabriel?!" the Virtue exclaimed. "Gabriel! Are you there?! Are you ok?”

In addition to a few metal files and the table in the center, there was nowhere else to hide in the office. And Gabriel's table was big enough for a tall man to be hidden. But if this aforementioned tall man had wings, they would be on display. Unless, of course, they were plummeted, decreasing a lot in size.

And that was exactly what had happened.

Cassiel leaned over the table and found the archangel lying behind it. His wings were folded and covered with blood, with very few scattered feathers spread over the injured skin. Gabriel had his shirt torn, with several scratches on his arms, face and back.

"Gabriel!" the Virtue knelt beside him and took him in his arms. "Merciful God, what happened?!” he looked at one of the archangel's hands and realized that there was blood under his nails. Those injuries were caused by himself. "Why did you do this?!"

"... pain ..." he groaned, weakly. "... it was to ... end the pain ..."

"What?! Pulling out your own feathers and scratching yourself doesn't seem to help reduce any pain!”

"... no ... on the body ..." Gabriel winced. "... in the soul..."

"What? I don’t understand!"

"Ugh ..." the archangel turned his face and raised his arm to try to ward off the other angel. "... leave me alone, Cassiel ..."

“I cannot leave you in this state! You are very hurt, you may end up discorporating ... ”Virtude put one of Gabriel's arms over his shoulder. “... and then _I_ will have to complete all the paperwork! Come on, I'll take you to the infirmary!”

"... do we... do we have an infirmary...?"

"Now we have." The Virtue narrowed his eyes and made his own room, in the other corridor, become a ward. “My miracle just won't be enough to heal your injuries. And there is no archangel here that can... ”

"AAAHHH!!!" Gabriel pulled the arm that was over Cassiel's shoulder as if the body of the lower angel was electrified.

"Uh?! What is it now?!"

"Ouch, I just...!" the archangel looked at his left arm. "I... I felt... the pain of a cut ... made by a very powerful blade!"

"Your arm is full of scratches and bruises, but I don't see any deeper cuts."

"Aziraphale...?" Gabriel's face contorted in an expression of panic. "Aziraphale!"

“Uh, do you think he was hurt? Because guardian angels can feel when their protégés are in danger. But you’ll not be able to defend him in this state, Gabriel. If you want, I can send another angel in your place to... ”

But Cassiel didn't have time to finish speaking, as a powerful lightning flashed across the room, blinding Virtue for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes again, Gabriel was gone.

……………………………………………

"No, no, no, no, _no_...!" Aziraphale was about to panic and Crowley was doing his best to control him.

“Angel, stay calm! It's just a scratch!”

"Gabriel!"

"Listen, I ... uh, I don't think he's going to Fall just because of this!" the demon said, not quite sure in his own words. “I mean, have you ever thought about guardian angels being punished every time their protégés cut their fingers with paper? I don't think that's how it works.”

"I was careless!" Aziraphale was barely listening. "Idiot... why? I'm an idiot!"

"You’re not an idiot!" Crowley took him by the hand. “And I already told you to stay calm! Gabriel is not going to Fall just because you received a shallow cut on your... ”

"Ah!" the angel looked up, startled. "Gabriel?!"

Crowley also looked up and began to feel the presence of someone approaching the square at a speed greater than that of sound. A powerful angelic energy. And it was coming from above.

The impact on the ground was so violent that the cars parked near the square had their alarms going off. A crater ten meters in diameter formed, spreading pieces of asphalt and cutting down trees.

 _Shit! It’s Gabriel? He ... he Fell?!_ _And right here in London?!_ the demon thought, stunned.

But when the archangel came out of the smoke formed by debris he didn't look any less angel than he always was, except that he...

He...

"Bloody fucking DAMN!" Crowley's eyes widened. "Gabe... w-what happened to you?!"

The archangel was shirtless, with shoulders, arms and torso covered with wounds. His wings were open, but they didn't look like the majestic white wings he conjured at the bookstore. His wings were... well... they looked like the wings of a chicken that was snapped up several times by a flock of hungry foxes and left dying in the barn.

"Aziraphale..." coming out of the crater with difficulty, the archangel staggered towards the Principality. “Are you… are you okay? I ... I felt the attack you took... did someone hurt you?"

The blond said nothing. His face was frozen in an expression of profound shock. He halted as Gabriel approached him with difficulty. He must have been in a lot of pain with every move he made, yet it was towards Aziraphale when he noticed the wound the shorter angel had on his arm.

He held the Principality's left arm gently and conjured a miracle of healing. He, being an archangel, was powerful enough to heal a wound caused by an equal with only a fraction of energy. Unfortunately that fraction of energy must have been all that was left of Gabriel, as he fell to his knees shortly afterwards, exhausted.

"Ugh... sorry ..." he said, leaning on the blond angel. “I'm s-sorry I was late... but a-are you okay, Aziraphale? You're...?"

The Principality held him tightly by the face, squeezing his cheeks. He took a deep breath once. Two. Three. And then he said:

" _Who_ did this?!" his expression was one of fear. "Who did this to you?!"

Crowley said nothing, but as soon as he looked at Gabriel's wounds pattern, the way the scratches had been made and the specific areas where the feathers had been pulled from the wings - more precisely the areas that are within reach arms of the wing user himself - he soon realized that the archangel had done that to himself. And even he, who didn't give a damn about Gabriel at all, was shocked by this conclusion.

After a few seconds of inspection Aziraphale also came to the same conclusion. And his expression of fear changed to panic.

"Gabriel!" he shook the archangel rather abruptly. "Why?! _Why_ did you do this to yourself?! ”

Then Aziraphale was crying.

Aziraphale.

Was.

Crying.

Gabriel had made him cry and all Crowley could think about was breaking the archangel's nose again, but he knew it wouldn't help. Gathering all his willpower, he grabbed Gabriel by the arm.

"To the bookstore." he said, his voice cold and menacing. "Now."

"I..." Gabriel was still holding Aziraphale, who was still crying. "... I n-need... to ..."

"Bookstore!" the demon snarled. His snake eyes were quite menacing. "Now! You two!"

Crowley grabbed the two angels and placed them inside the Bentley almost forcibly before driving at 150 kilometers per hour through the streets of London.


	11. Chapter 11

The last time Gabriel felt so exhausted was right after the war against the rebel angels - the Fallen - even before planet Earth itself was created, more than six thousand years ago.

It was an uphill battle and his physical body was in bad shape at the end of the fights. However, his spirit was full of strength and joy for victory, not to mention the satisfaction of having fulfilled his duty as an angel loyal to God. He was exhausted, in the same way that a winning athlete feels exhausted at the end of a game that earned him a hard, but happy victory.

Now, although his corporation was in better shape than at the end of the war, Gabriel's spirit was shattered.

He spent the last few hours hurting himself, blaming himself and avoiding contact with other people, until Cassiel appeared in his office and, with his communication channel open again, he could feel the moment when Aziraphale was wounded by the blade of an archangel.

Later explanations elucidated Gabriel that it was Michael who attacked the Principality. Ah, Michael, the great commander of the heavenly host in the first war. Michael, who could have destroyed Aziraphale's corporation, as well as severely wounding his soul, with her bastard sword. And in the meantime Gabriel was locked in his office, feeling sorry for himself.

To make matters worse, as soon as the blond angel saw his condition, he started to cry.

Gabriel was feeling guiltier than ever. More useless than ever. If his body had seen worse days, your soul had certainly never been in such misery before.

And his Fall, which could be the appropriate punishment for such a deplorable attitude, didn’t come.

Truth be told, guardian angels were not Gabriel's department. He was not sure how much the protégé could be hurt before it was considered a 'failure' of the protective angel - and, consequently, caused his well-deserved Fall. He only knew that, even if it was not serious, the injury that Aziraphale had suffered shouldn’t have happened.

Aziraphale shouldn't be crying.

Aziraphale shouldn't have the tiniest consideration and affection for Gabriel, who was his executioner, his asshole boss, the angel who almost killed him. Even so, since he had put his foot inside the bookstore, the Principality had taken care of him.

Gabriel wanted to tell Aziraphale that he didn't need that much care. That the next morning, when he felt stronger, he could conjure up a miracle to heal his wounds and make his wing feathers grow again. But it would be useless to say anything.

The Principality treated him as if he were a human child. Gabriel, who was really very weak, had to be taken to the bed with the help of a friendly shoulder. Aziraphale undressed him and began to treat his wounds with holy water and bandages - since he, being an angel of lower rank than Gabriel, couldn’t miraculously heal the wounds caused by an archangel. And that reminded the brunette:

"Your arm... Aziraphale... is your left arm better...?"

"Hush." the Principality said, categorically. The restless way in which he moved it should indicate that yes, his left arm was perfectly fine.

After being taken care of, the blond offered Gabriel chamomile tea and biscuits. The archangel started to argue that he wasn’t hungry, but then he looked at the bedroom door and realized that Crowley was scowling at him and a sign towards his mouth. Sighing, he accepted tea and biscuits and then followed the recommendation to sleep.

Fortunately, he didn't have nightmares that time.

Perhaps it was due to the presence of Aziraphale, who stood beside him while the archangel fell asleep. The Principality sat by the bed and offered to read Gabriel any book he wanted. The archangel was not a great fan of literature, having read only a few titles on the self-help and finance shelf. He asked to hear the narration of ‘The Power of Habit’. The blond almost laughed at the suggestion of the title, but read him a few chapters.

Lulled by Aziraphale's soft voice, Gabriel relaxed as he hadn't in a long time. Sleep came easy and peaceful.

When he woke up, breakfast was ready for him, served on a tray. With a grimace, Gabriel forced himself to eat while Aziraphale changed the bandages on his wounds.

"How are you this morning, my dear?" the blond asked.

"I am fine." said the archangel, chewing on toast as he tried to disguise the red that rose to his cheeks when the angel called him 'my dear'. "I'm really fine, don't worry about me."

"Ah, of course I worry!" Aziraphale said, annoyed.

"No, seriously, there's no need." Gabriel insisted, stubbornly. "I can take care of myself..."

The blond exhaled loudly, interrupting the archangel.

"Can you? Really?! Look at your state!” Aziraphale gestured to Gabriel's body not yet fully recovered. “Never, never do such foolish thing again! Never!" the blond looked down and the archangel feared he was going to cry again. “You don't have to carry this burden alone, you know? If you feel that you need to talk to someone, that you need to get something off your chest, you can come and talk to me. I will always be by your side to hear everything you have to say.”

"Aziraphale." the feelings of joy and guilt mixed together in the form of a knot in the archangel's throat. “I… I should be the one saying that… I should be taking care of you. But I'm afraid that I can't do that. I am a bad guardian angel. I am a terrible angel as a whole. I ... I think I ne— “

His words were cut off when the Principality took him by the chin and kissed his lips. Paralyzed, the archangel opened his big purple eyes wide, unable to believe what had just happened.

"Fool." Aziraphale smiled slightly, although there was still sadness in his eyes. “I see that we are really going to need to talk a lot about these things. I'm going to need to get into your stubborn head, somehow, that you deserve to be loved, Gabriel. You have grown a lot in the last few days and you are growing more and more to be a better person. A better angel. So, since you don't feel compelled to do yourself a favor, do it for me: stop punishing yourself, especially physically. You don't want to see me sad, do you?”

"No!" the archangel exclaimed, effusive. "Of course not!"

"Good." the Principality took the breakfast tray. "I'll take care of the dishes and you won't get out of bed until I get back, okay?"

"It's okay."

Leaning over, Aziraphale gave Gabriel another kiss, maintaining the contact of their lips for a few more seconds with the promise that, if he behaved, the archangel would have others of those later. A few minutes after the blond left the room, leaving Gabriel stunned while touching his lips, Crowley appeared.

"How are you going, big guy?"

"I am fine." he replied, absently.

"It wasn't what it looked like yesterday." the demon closed the bedroom door and sat on the bed.

"I'm much better today."

"Apparently." the redhead glanced at the bandages that covered Gabriel's arms and chest. "It's not like the desire to do it again isn't going to come back."

The archangel sighed. All the pain and anguish he felt the day before seemed distant, but Gabriel knew that the demon was right. The urge to hurt yourself could return at any moment. He felt that he could not trust himself for his own safety and that made him feel bad.

"Forgive me." he said, looking at his hands. "I'm disturbing you two again."

"Ngk, you really are _not_ well!" Crowley shook his head. “Listen, I think I owe you an apology. If I hadn’t attacked you the day before yesterday, you wouldn’t have stayed away from Aziraphale and I wouldn’t have been all depressed there in Heaven. You would have been here with us yesterday and could sweep the floor with Michael the moment that bitch came along. Then Aziraphale wouldn't have been hurt, and neither would you have hurt yourself. We would all be fine now.”

"It wasn't your fault." it was strange to say that to a demon, but that's what Gabriel did. "You were just protecting what was yours."

"Aziraphale is not 'mine'. He belongs to no one, except himself. But... yes, I really want to protect him. With my life, if necessary. And above all, I want him to be happy. And if he's happy... ”Crowley trailed off.

"Yes?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow, curious to hear the rest.

Crowley took a long breath and completed the sentence:

"If Aziraphale is happy... with you... then I will not object."

"What?" that was definitely not what the archangel expected to hear. "Crowley... what are you talking about?"

“I'm saying that Zira wants to be with you. Not only has he already forgiven you, he wants to be closer to you. Physically, emotionally. He, like every angel, can feel that you need help. And what kind of angel doesn't help those in need, innit?”

“This is... it's very kind of him, but I can take care of myself. In fact, I should be helping him... ”

"Listen, do you want to help?" Crowley cut him off. "Do you _really_ want to help?"

"Of course."

“So when Aziraphale tells you to eat, you eat! When he tells you to drink, you drink! When he tells you to rest, you rest! Don't contradict him, for Someone's sake! Let him take care of you in every way he can. Let him love you. Let him protect you! This will do him good, it will do me and, consequently, you too!”

Gabriel thought of arguing that he was Aziraphale's guardian angel and not the other way around, but the archangel just nodded slightly.

"Right..."

“Oh, don't make that face! It's not like being in the care of Aziraphale was a bad thing.”

“It’s not bad, on the contrary. It's... heavenly. ” the angel gave a slight sigh. "But... but I think he shouldn't be doing these things for me because... because..."

"Because do you think you don't deserve his love?" Crowley raised his eyebrows over the rim of his sunglasses. "Because you’re an asshole and Aziraphale deserved to be spending his time and efforts with someone better than you?"

An expression of astonishment formed on the archangel's face as he heard those words, but the redhead wasn’t finished yet.

"Because you’re the one who should be licking the floor under his feet in thanks for the simple fact that he does even smile at you?" the demon removed his sunglasses, facing the archangel. "Because you did do a lot of bad shit during your six millennia of existence and, therefore, do you think you deserved to be severely punished instead of being rewarded with the love and affection of the most perfect creature in universe after God?"

Gabriel's eyes widened, stunned. And then he gave a light laugh.

"What is so funny?"

"Sorry, I... heh, I find it strange that a demon knows better what I'm feeling than a fellow angel."

“I’m a demon and I know about feelings of guilt and unworthiness very well. Even too well!” Crowley cleared his throat. “Aziraphale is... he is good, gentle, handsome, intelligent, lovable, he is just perfect. How is it that someone as perfect as he can be wasting time with two creatures like us? He deserved something much better, don't you think?”

“Yes, he deserved it. But in comparison, you deserve him far more than I do.”

“Heh, I don't know. For better or worse, you’re still an angel and I’m a demon. Even in a twisted way you did a lot more good things than me, don't try to deny it.”

"I don't know, did I?" the archangel sank his head into the pillow. "All the good things I did, or tried to do, seem to be worthless for the simple fact that I tried to kill Aziraphale."

"For I have spent the last six millennia trying to ensure that Aziraphale is safe, and yet it seems that I have done almost nothing in the face of everything he has provided me with."

"Hmmm, I don't think any of us deserve him, apparently."

"Yeah, me too."

"You two are going to cease this nonsense now."

Gabriel and Crowley looked towards the bedroom door and saw the Principality there, arms crossed and a serious expression.

"Oh, hey, angel!" the demon cleared his throat. “Sorry, I was just keeping the big guy company here. As you arrived, I will be going.”

"You will stay exactly where you are." the Principality's voice was serious. "It looks like it's not just Gabriel that I'm going to need to have a conversation with, but with you too."

“No, seriously, angel. I already know." Crowley held up his hands, as if he were surrendering. "We've talked about this before."

"And apparently it went over your head." Aziraphale shook his head and approached the bed, sitting on the chair next to it and looking at the two supernatural entities in front of him. “I imagine that maybe part of this is my fault. Maybe I'm not being very clear in my message that you two are very dear to me.”

"Nothing is your fault." Gabriel hurried to say. "It's just that I ... I ..."

"You just don't agree with Zira." the demon said. “He can tell you a million times that he likes you and you still won't be convinced. This is an internal problem of yours that has nothing to do with the outside. Listen, angel.” he turned to Aziraphale. “I have been where Gabriel has been. You could say that, thanks to you, I have improved a lot. But this takes time. He still needs to forgive himself for what he tried to do to you and this is not the kind of thing you can rationalize overnight. You also need to understand his side and be patient with him. And be patient with me too.”

"Right." the blond looked down. “As long as you are also patient with me. As long as you let me take care of you both. And, for the love of the Almighty, do _not_ be jealous of each other. My love is infinite, for you two. Whatever you need I will make a great effort to give you. And please accept it.”

"Of course." Gabriel agreed, smiling widely. "I will accept everything you can give me."

"I'm already doing this for sometime." Crowley also smiled. “And you can bet, Gabe, there's no more addictive than having Aziraphale's love. It’s so good that you just cannot believe it’s true, you just wait for the moment that will end one day because it’s not possible for something so good to last forever. I confess that, in the first weeks of our relationship, I even felt jealous of your books, angel. I was afraid that, somehow, that pile of paper was rivaling me.”

"Oh, you chump." Aziraphale snorted. “What did I do to fall in love with two big fools like you? It must have been a very good thing, I bet!” and ended with a laugh.

With a mischievous expression, the demon leaned forward and kissed the Principality. A voracious and passionate kiss that made Gabriel's eyes widen. When they broke the kiss, Aziraphale, with flushed lips, approached the archangel and kissed him too. It was a smoother and more restrained kiss, but it was much more than the brunette was expecting.

The blond traced his fingers over Gabriel's bare chest, where some bandages covered parts of the wounds. He seemed to be weighing his decisions on what to do next. Finally, he just shook his head.

“Crowley, dear, can you bring the television into the bedroom? I bet Gabriel will really enjoy relaxing watching some movies while we both side with him.”

 _Both of us?!_ it took the archangel by surprise.

"Right away, sir!" said the demon, heading for the door. “What's your preference, Gabe? Adventure? Super heroes? Horror? Comedy? You can choose, except biblical films, for Someone’s sake!”

“Uh... I have no preference. Anything."

“Great! I won't be long.”

“Can you lie a little more to the side, Gabriel? So I can sit in the middle of the bed.”

"Oh, sure." the archangel, still astounded, obeyed the Principality, while he removed his shoes and stood in the middle of the double bed.

Crowley arrived shortly thereafter with television and blu ray. A small demonic miracle made the two devices float to the wall and fix themselves there. The redhead lay on the other end of the bed, putting an arm around the blond's shoulder. With a snap of his fingers, a film about small creatures traveling to face a dragon began to play on the screen.

Gabriel didn't pay much attention to the film - and the next five that followed - because lying in a bed in the company of Aziraphale (and, amazingly, Crowley) seemed too good to be true.

Too good to last long.


	12. Chapter 12

Gabriel recovered well from his injuries over the next few days. It was true that he could have healed completely with a miracle long before, but being in Aziraphale's care was very pleasant.

As soon as he was fully restored, the first week's routine returned. The difference is that, this time, it was Aziraphale who was worried every time Gabriel went jogging in Hyde Park in the morning. Another difference is that this time he and Aziraphale... well, now the two kissed from time to time.

The Principality taught the archangel various ways of kissing and Gabriel tried to apply to all of them. Soft, almost innocent kisses, moving on to more invasive and passionate ones. Sweet words of love and admiration mixed with murmurs of satisfaction. The blond wrapped his arms around the tallest angel's neck and the two spent several minutes exchanging caresses inside the bookshop.

But these caresses usually came to an abrupt end when Aziraphale's hands started to descend towards his waist line. In Gabriel's mind, it was still wrong, sinful. Sex should only be done for the purpose of procreation and, well, angels don’t procreate. At least not with each other.

During the kisses, Gabriel's body sometimes tensed involuntarily, all to make him apologize in the end for his unconscious action.

"Sorry, sorry!" he asked, always out of breath after the making out. "If you want I can... I..."

"No." Aziraphale always smiled at him, understandably. “We don't have to rush things, darling. When you're ready we'll both make love. You don't have to force yourself to do anything.”

That was a relief because Gabriel, although he really wanted to experience that kind of pleasure, still felt insecure. Worse, he still felt unworthy of all that love. He needed more time to placate his conscience and get used to the idea that he could be loved by the Principality.

This doesn’t mean that he couldn’t already learn some things in theory. And for that Gabriel looked for some names in the area of pornography (this time the right shelf) and found some interesting ones. One book, in particular, he had started to read, but as soon as Aziraphale saw the book in his hands he had a conniption and snatched it out of the archangel's hands.

“Aziraphale? What's the problem?" the brunette asked at the time. "Isn't this book... suitable?"

“By God Almighty, read what you want, Gabriel! Read Venus in Fur, read Marquis de Sade... heck, read up to Harlequin Books if you want, but not ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’!”

Well, since Aziraphale was in no hurry, Gabriel could read more about pornography at another time and return to his normal routine. More specifically the jog.

That morning the archangel returned after running for nearly a hundred kilometers, making endless turns through the park. The effort did him good, helped him get rid of some bad thoughts that continued to pollute his mind. As soon as he entered the bookstore he went to the bathroom, as he always did, to take a shower. But the Principality had arrived first.

It was the first time that the archangel had seen someone make use of the bathroom besides him, as it seemed that Crowley and Aziraphale preferred to get rid of the dirt with miracles. As he didn’t want to smell his own sweat any longer, the archangel snapped his fingers and cleaned himself without using water. He passed in front of the master bedroom door and could see a thin, stretched leg on the bed. He took a look and saw the redhead demon lying there.

Crowley was... well... Crowley was naked.

"Hey, snooper!" the demon exclaimed when he realized that Gabriel was peering through the half-open door.

"Ah, sorry!" the archangel hurried to say. "I am going."

"Wait! Come here!"

"Uh... what?"

"You may come in! Now we are tied.”

 _Tied?_ Gabriel didn’t understand why Crowley said that, but decided to enter the room. He tried not to aim too hard at the demon's naked body. And the redhead noticed Gabriel's embarrassment.

“Oh, come on! I have nothing you haven't seen before!” he chuckled.

“Yes, I've seen one before. But this doesn’t mean that it is appropriate for me to spy.”

“Well, what is beautiful is to be enjoyed, right? I give you my permission, you can spy on me as much as you want!” Crowley crossed his arms behind his head and stretched his body further.

Gabriel blushed to his ear, still looking away.

“Oh, fine! If you feel more comfortable like that... ”the demon snapped his fingers and his body was covered in black silk pajamas. "There, you can look now."

"Thank you." he said, giving a sigh of relief.

"Geez, am I that awful?" the redhead made a pout.

"No. It's just that I... uh... ”

"Is it that you are learning a little more about intimacy these past few days and finally learned to be embarrassed by these issues?" Crowley tilted his head to the side.

"So-so. I think you were right to say that time that I didn't know anything about... relationships. ”

“And would you like to know? In a physical sense?”

Although he was speechless, it was clear that Gabriel's response was positive.

"Don't worry, it will eventually happen." it was Crowley's turn to look away. “Aziraphale wants to be with you. He just hasn't proposed anything yet because he is afraid that you will run like a frightened hare the moment he asks to have sex with you. But you can bet, you just need to say a word and he will drag you into this room and make you the happiest archangel in the universe.”

"And you? Would you continue to be the happiest demon in the universe if this happened?”

"Yes, of course." the redhead shifted on the bed, uncomfortable. “I already told you that as long as Zira is happy, I am happy. He enjoys your company.”

“Hmm, how about you? Do you enjoy my company?”

Crowley opened his snake eyes wide, genuinely surprised by the question.

"Err... yeah. You are not a bad guy when you're not trying to kill innocent angels.”

Gabriel frowned, feeling a twinge of guilt at the base of his stomach. The demon sat on the bed, correcting himself quickly:

“Ooopsy, sorry. I didn't want to remind you of that. But, well, like I said, you are kind of cool, Gabe. Although you need to learn more about human society to avoid more faux pas.”

"Yes it's true. I have been reading a book that is teaching me a lot about this, ‘How to win friends and influence people’.”

“Ugh! You’re _not_ reading this kind of thing, are you?!”

"Why not? It is a very instructive book.”

"Didn't I say that you still have a lot to learn?" the demon chuckled and got up from the bed. “Well, I'm going to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Zira ordered pancakes. Want some?"

"Living with you guys my body will be very... soft."

“Heh, it wouldn't be a bad idea! Anyway, can you do groceries for me? I'm not sure if we have enough flour and milk in the pantry.”

"I could miraculously make flour and milk appeared in the kitchen."

"Ah, so there is no fun!"

Gabriel shook his head slightly, thinking what kind of 'fun' he had in going to the supermarket to shop instead of just doing the things you needed to miraculously show up on the table. Shrugging, he decided to take Crowley's order and do groceries.

………………………….

_Peace, at last!_ thought the demon as he prepared the pancake batter - yes, the pantry was well served with milk and flour and he knew it when he sent Gabriel to do the shopping.

Crowley was still feeling mild discomfort that morning. Not that the morning sex with Aziraphale was bad, on the contrary! But it seems that the initial satisfaction ended up giving way to a strange anxiety. And it all started when Gabriel entered the room, saw the redhead naked, and then asked that question:

_“Do you enjoy my company?”_

It was a very complicated question. For Crowley, Gabriel was like a big dog. Funny, kind, but a little inconvenient. And the demon didn't even like dogs, but he didn't object because his husband wanted a puppy so badly, so he decided to just tolerate it. Yes, he ended up becoming attached to the dog over time to the point of even letting him sleep in their bed, but that didn't mean he liked the animal.

Maybe he would find the patience to take the dog for a walk, maybe he would even like to play with him, maybe he could consider seeing him taking a shower (no… giving the dog a bath, not spying on the metaphorical dog taking a shower) and, at the end of the one day, he could exchange a few strokes with the hound, scratching behind his ear as he laid his head on his lap.

No, Gabriel never laid his head on Crowley's lap. And the demon never caught himself imagining that. Of course not.

As a Great Dane, Gabriel still needed to learn a lot about social etiquette. To start with, the dog shouldn't jump on people (not that Gabriel jumped on people, it was just a metaphor), shouldn't use miracles in public (dogs perform miracles? Only if it's Adam's Dog) and shouldn't be asking inconvenient questions - the canine equivalent to barking in the middle of the night.

But the mutt was smart and learned fast. Although the archangel was still a virgin, he quickly learned the art of making out. Whenever possible Aziraphale kissed him, teaching him a new area of the body that he could touch with his lips. Chin, neck, shoulders, and especially the lips. Mouth open, closed, with tongue or without tongue. With teeth or without teeth. Gabriel was quickly learning to be a good kisser, he could tell that only from the murmurs that the Principality made when they kissed in the living room, just before Aziraphale went up to the room and spent all his sexual energy with Crowley.

When the blond fell into Crowley's arms, his lips still swollen from the kisses he exchanged with Gabriel, the demon couldn't help thinking that the taste he was tasting in those first moments was the taste of the archangel's mouth.

No, Crowley didn't like it when dogs licked him in the mouth. He thought it was disgusting. And that was why he didn't even think about kissing Gabriel. A dog that, however well behaved, could turn on him and Aziraphale at any time. A dog that has tried to take a piece of the Principality. Who would trust such a mongrel?

But at the same time, he was a very efficient protective dog. And that, despite his awkward manner, he was quite sincere in his duty to protect his owner. That he was strong and courageous, capable of descending to Earth in the blink of an eye, even in a sorry state, just to take care of the people who were close to him.

A bitter mutt who had already bitten his own paw almost to the bone, he was so sorry that he tried to bite Aziraphale in the past. An intelligent dog who, certainly, had already learned from his mistakes. And who didn't even need to use the choke chains anymore.

Still, Crowley didn't like it when dogs licked him in the mouth.

But Gabriel wasn’t a dog.

……………………………

Gabriel was no stranger to smartphones, although the versions used in Heaven were quite different from those created by mortals. To begin with, it was strange to think that the communication signal between cell phones could fail. And that was exactly what was happening at the moment.

Crowley passed him a shopping list via text. In addition to the flour and milk he had asked for a few more things. One of them was walker crisps, but the demon had forgotten to specify which flavor. The archangel had tried the snack before and liked Salt & Vinegar, but he wasn't sure if Crowley would like it. The signal was weak and there was no Wi-Fi enabled nearby.

Shrugging, Gabriel decided to take a package of each flavor.

With the help of a particularly powerful miracle, the archangel was able to enter a cashier where the queue was limited to just one person and there was no problem with the card or with purchases that could delay the action. Within five minutes, he was back in the bookstore with shopping bags in hand.

However, when he was about to turn the corner and enter the store he felt a demonic energy. And it wasn't Crowley's. Frowning, he went around the block and passed a narrow alley that led to the back of the building, usually used to store trash and rubble, and realized that someone in the alley was looking up. More specifically looking at the bedroom window of the Aziraphale’s flat.

He was a thin man, with white hair and dark spots on his skin. The energy he exuded was fury and resentment. With a snap of his fingers, Gabriel made the bags in his hands teleport to the kitchen. The energy of his miracle caught the attention of the mysterious man.

The man glared at Gabriel, but only for a few seconds. His black eyes widened when he recognized him.

"Archangel Gabriel?!" there was fear in his voice, but he made an effort to disguise it. “Err… oh, what a surprise! Are you on a mission on Earth?”

"I could ask you the same thing, demon." was the emotionless question the archangel asked. "Did you discover anything interesting in this alley?"

"Here? Oh, don't worry! I’m not here to cause confusion with any angel! In fact, my name is Hastur. I imagine you've heard of me.”

Yes, Gabriel had already heard of the lord of the batrachians. Bad things, which was natural since he was a demon. The archangel remembered his name as one of the executioners who participated in Crowley's ill-fated execution.

"Yes, I've heard of you." Gabriel's voice was still without emotion.

“Ah, great! So you already know that I have nothing against you or Aziraphale! I mean... I have nothing against you both save what Hell always has against angels in general, hehehe! I'm here after Crowley!”

"Crowley?" for the first time there was a spark of emotion in the archangel's voice. And this spark was of growing anger. "What do you want with him?"

“Ah, nothing much! I just want to punish him for what he did! He's a traitor!”

“Haven't you tried to do this already? I thought his execution had failed.”

"Yes, unfortunately it failed!" the demon contorted his face in hatred. “But this doesn’t mean that I cannot make him suffer in other ways! I want to drag him to Hell, throw him in a pit of excrement, and send my demon frogs to torture him for the rest of eternity!”

Hastur barely finished saying the sentence and Gabriel was already beside him. Although both were the same height, the impression was that the archangel was much taller. His purple eyes looked warmer with angry.

"Hey, heeeey...!" the demon was startled, taking a step to the side. "What is this?! I already told you that I have nothing against you or Aziraphale! Michael told me that you were sentenced to be the chubby’s guardian angel, but I have no intention of hurting you! I want Crowley! You don't have to protect Crowley, right?”

It was true. Gabriel was Aziraphale's guardian angel, not Crowley's. He had no obligation to protect the red-haired demon.

However...

Gabriel's hand gripped Hastur's collar, to the astonishment of the white-haired demon.

“I won't let you hurt Crowley.”

“Whaaaa… aaach! B-but… but…!”

"I don't want to see you hanging around this area anymore, fiend." the threat under the calm tone of the archangel's voice was more terrifying than if he was shouting or something. “If I catch you here again, you’re the one who will end up in a pit of excrement. Several at the same time.”

Frightened, Hastur used a teleportation miracle to disappear, leaving dirt in Gabriel's hands, who blew the filth with a miraculous and sanitizing wind. It was at this time that the archangel felt another demonic energy nearby, but this time more familiar and pleasant.

"Crowley?" he turned and saw that the redhead was standing in front of the alley holding one of the shopping bags.

"You... you bought the wrong crisps..." he murmured. Although he was wearing sunglasses, Gabriel knew his expression was one of astonishment. "... there are eight different flavors here, but there is no tikka masala."

"Sorry. Do you want me to go back to the supermarket and buy more?”

"Uh ... no! No, it's ok! I mean... smoky bacon is good! Cheese and onion is classic! And fish and chips is... err... double classic! No need to buy more!”

"Right. Do you have everything you need to make pancakes?”

"Yes, yes! In fact, Zira is out of the shower and wants the three of us to have breakfast together! Come on!”

The archangel walked into the bookstore with the feeling that Crowley would not take his eyes off him. Although he didn't know why.


	13. Chapter 13

Crowley drove like an absolute madman through the streets of London. He was returning to his flat, which had been practically abandoned for the past few weeks. Since Gabriel started living with them, the demon preferred not to let his guard down, not yet trusting that the archangel was really there to protect Aziraphale and not for some other shady plan.

Now the redhead desperately needed time alone.

He entered his flat, sitting on his majestic throne and placing his legs over the table. He needed to think of something else to get that image out of his mind.

Hastur, in the alley, saying he wanted to torture Crowley.

Gabriel threatening Hastur, saying he would protect Crowley.

Protect Crowley.

 _‘Cause Aziraphale!_ the demon thought, frowning. _Gabriel only said that because he knows that, if something happens to me, Zira will be heartbroken. Yes, this is the bloody reason! There is no longer any logical reason for an archangel to protect a demon other than for the benefit of a mission or the like!_

Really, there was no logic in an angel protecting a demon, unless the angel loved this demon. Aziraphale would certainly protect Crowley, because he loved him. This was the exception to the rule.

Gabriel, on the other hand...

_No._

Crowley turned on the huge television in the living room and tried to distract himself with other things. There was a movie showing with Nicolas Cage. He decided to pay attention until he found out what movie it was: City of Angels.

He changed channels. I didn't want anything to remind him of Gabriel. He left it on another channel, where another movie was playing. A romantic comedy about a love triangle: This Means War.

Once again, he changed the channel. He decided to put it in a culinary channel where, probably, nothing would remind him of the archangel. On the flat screen, a cook was teaching how to make an Angel Food Cake.

"It is really delicious!" said the cook, cutting a slice. “In the beginning, you think it will not work, that the cake will be disjointed, that it will end up burning, but then everything will be fine! After you taste it for the first time, you will completely fall in love with it!”

With a grunt, the demon turned off the TV. He went to his bed with satin blankets and lay on it, thinking that sleeping for a few days would do him good. Rather, he decided to send a message to Aziraphale just to let him know that he would be gone for a few days. But as soon as he sent the text, the angel responded promptly.

_Please, darling, not today!_ **:(**

 _I'm going to do some rare book purchases and Gabriel said he would prefer not to accompany me._ **Ç_Ç**

 _Stay in the bookstore just until I get back, okay? Just to make sure he'll be fine! Then you can sleep for days if you want! Love you!_ **:) :D**

Sighing heavily, Crowley decided to return to the bookstore. The blond cared too much about Gabriel and it irritated the demon. Not that he was jealous, no. This phase had already passed. He didn't feel more jealous of Gabriel any more than he would feel about his boyfriend's pet. Crowley was irritated that the Principality treated the archangel as if he were a child.

 _Gabriel is not a child. He was the Archangel Fucking Gabriel!_ _The guy who tried to kill Aziraphale!_ Crowley remembered it constantly. _Never forget that! Never!_

When he returned to the bookstore the doors were closed. He didn't feel Aziraphale's energy, indicating that he had already gone out to do his shopping, but he could feel Gabriel's energy. He was in the bookstore, upstairs.

But as soon as Crowley entered the room, he sensed that something was wrong.

Stealthily walking up to the flat. Everything was silent, as it always was when the archangel was reading one of those stupid self-help books that he had started to like. But no, that silence was a different silence.

Instinctively, the demon stuck out his tongue, tasting the air. Like most snakes, Crowley's nose was sharper when he made this move, bringing his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

There was a soft but noticeable smell of blood in the air.

With a quick movement, the demon opened the bathroom door. Gabriel was there, sitting inside the bathtub, with a trickle of blood running from his wrist.

"C-crowley?!" the archangel was startled, jumping up and hiding his injured arm behind his back. “Ah, Aziraphale said that you were going to stay at your house for a few days. I thought..."

"Show that arm!"

"Uh? I ... I don't see why... ”

"Show it!!!"

With a quick movement, Crowley advanced on the archangel and grabbed the arm he was trying to hide. There were some cuts in the pale skin, from which blood was running down to the elbow.

"Ah, s-sorry!" the archangel said, sheepish as a child caught making a mess. "I... I know I promised I wouldn't do that anymore, but... but I ...!"

"Shut up!" the demon snarled, looking up at Gabriel's startled - and flushed - expression.

And it was only at this time that Crowley realized that the archangel was naked.

"Are you doing this every time you go to shower?" the question had an affirmative tone.

"Well, not every time." the archangel looked away. “But… but it's nothing serious, Crowley. Not like the wounds I inflicted on myself in Heaven. These are just small cuts! Insignificant! I can heal them myself immediately after the shower.”

"Ah, great!" the demon sighed. "You mean, now, I'm going to have to watch you every time you go to take a shower?"

"N-no...!" the archangel’s face turned even redder. “No, it’s not necessary! I... I'm not going to do that anymore!”

"Gabriel ..." the demon's voice was low. He looked down, uncertain whether to observe the wound on his wrist or the great Effort that the archangel had between his legs. "If you want to hurt yourself, then _do it right!_ "

Crowley's thumbnail grew, becoming black and sharp, like a scorpion's stinger. With a quick movement, he sank his nail into the wounded wrist of the archangel, causing holy blood to splash on his face.

"Ooouch!" Gabriel shouted. It must have hurt. "C-crowley ... w-what are you...?!"

"Shut the fuck up! Just… observe it!"

Blood now dripped profusely from the taller man's wrist. It dripped onto Gabriel's naked body, a few drops falling into the bathtub. Crowley's thumb prevented blood from spray out in jets, as he had punctured an artery. Even so, the volume of blood that flowed was great.

The two continued to watch the archangel's blood drain. The skin over Crowley's palm was getting colder and colder and Gabriel's face paled. Although he couldn’t die from the loss of blood, the archangel could be sick.

Removing the top thumb from the wound, Crowley quickly placed his lips on the archangel's wrist. The taste of blood filled his mouth. With effusive licks, he closed the wound on his wrist, healing the skin and reconstructing the veins. Then he started running his tongue down the length of his arm, cleaning the blood until not a single drop was left.

Kneeling down, the demon began to lick the blood that had fallen on Gabriel's abdomen and thighs. He could hear the sound of confusion and excitement the archangel was making as he watched Crowley lick him. And, unsurprisingly, the Archangel's Effort ended up responding positively.

Hesitating for a few moments, the redhead swallowed him until the tip hit the back of his throat. The guttural howl that the archangel gave was beautiful to hear. Within minutes, in addition to the ferrous taste of blood, there was also the salty taste of spend in Crowley's mouth.

 _What the bloody fuck did I do?!_ the redhead bowed his head, resting his forehead on Gabriel's right thigh. _What the fuuuuuuuck did I JUST do?! I hurt and then sexually abused an archangel! Motherfucker is going to kill me!_

It was at this time that Gabriel's knees forgot how to work and he fell on the demon. In a quick movement, Crowley grabbed him before he hit his head on the edge of the tub.

The demon carried him out of the bathroom, laying him on the floor of the room since he was too big to lie on the couch properly. With a snap of his fingers, Crowley made a blanket appear in his hands and covered the naked body of the archangel, while he adjusted a pillow under his head. The ideal would be to take him to bed, but... no. Crowley didn’t want to enter the room with Gabriel.

Worried, he took the angel's wrist and checked to see if he was still injured. The light cuts the archangel made were still there, but they were little more than scratches. The most serious wound, which reached the artery, was completely healed. At least that the demon did right.

The brunette's hand began to move, holding Crowley's shoulder.

"Why… did you… do that?" Gabriel asked. His purple eyes were somewhat opaque as he recovered from the blood loss.

"I ... ngk, I don't know!" the demon babbled. "Y-you... you want to beat me blue for what I did, innit? Innit?!?"

The archangel just smiled and shook his head slightly.

"But you _should!_ " Crowley exclaimed angrily. "I... I hurt you and abused you! You wanted to have your first time with Aziraphale, didn't you?! I stole it from you! You should blow me up!”

With a tired expression, the archangel raised an eyebrow slightly, with that doubtful face he always did when he did not understand the obvious. That damn, _adorable_ face of doubt.

"Hey, you stupid archangel!" he grabbed Gabriel by the face. “What kind of guardian angel are you that can't even protect yourself?! C’mon! Attack me! I hurt you! You shouldn't allow a demon to do that to you!”

"Crowley, I ..." the archangel touched Crowley's arm. His hand had recovered the heat. "I would never hurt you."

"B-but... _why?!_ "

"Because you understand me." Gabriel smiled. “You understand me more than I understand myself. You are a good person, Crowley. You, along with Aziraphale, taught me so many things. You were so kind and benevolent to me. You are... ” he paused. "... you are as dear to me as Aziraphale."

 _No, no! Stupid archangel! Do not say that!_ Crowley was unable to speak. Instead, he said something worse.

"I tricked you!" he exclaimed. “During the execution of Aziraphale, I was in his shoes! We clowned you! I, as Aziraphale, spit hellfire towards you and those two wankers! I could have _killed_ you, really! Satan help me, I would love to have burned you, did you know that?!”

Gabriel's eyes widened, shocked by that revelation. But his hand on Crowley's arm didn't leave or crush, just caressed him.

“Oh, that was smart. Glad you two managed to trick us.”

"Did you hear what I said about me almost killing you?!"

"I do. I understand. And I forgive you. I would be able to kill all my siblings archangels if any of them dared to try to hurt Aziraphale.” he gave another smile. "Or you."

_No!_

_No..._

Crowley didn't want to hear any more words coming out of the archangel's mouth, so he tried to close it, fitting his lips with Gabriel's.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, the chapter is a little short this time. 
> 
> But we're heading to the end!

The purchases took longer than expected. But now Aziraphale was coming home with two bags full of rare editions of books. Only by a miracle did they not rip by the weight.

As soon as he entered the building, he could feel the familiar energy of Gabriel and Crowley upstairs. He was relieved to realize that the demon had come to take a look at the archangel while he was gone. Setting up the new books on the table, Aziraphale decided to go upstairs.

And as soon as he entered the room, he saw Crowley leaving the bedroom and closing the door slowly.

“Crowley, dear! Glad yo—“

The demon jumped when he heard the angel's voice. It was only at this time that the blond realized that he was only in his underwear and without his sunglasses.

“Crowley? What was...?”

“Shhhhh! Low!" the redhead whispered. "Gabriel needs to rest!"

The Principality raised an eyebrow suspiciously. The demon never cared about Gabriel's sleep, he never cared about anything that involved Gabriel. And the fact that Crowley was half naked was also a cause for distrust.

"Why does Gabriel need to rest?" was Aziraphale's whispered question. He knew that the archangel liked to run in the park, but he was much less tired than a human doing this activity.

"Well... let's say he... I ... uh ..."

"Crowley ?!" the obvious finally revealed itself to the blond.

With firm but light steps, Aziraphale went to the bedroom door and opened it.

On the unmade bed was the exhausted figure of Gabriel. The archangel was lying with his arms stretched out, a sheet covering his naked body. A close look at his face showed that he was really tired, but there was a small smile drawn on his sleepy expression. And the love bites spread around the neck and shoulders left no doubt about what had happened.

Holding his breath, Aziraphale closed the bedroom door slowly and snapped his fingers, forming a sound barrier so that the conversation he would have with Crowley wouldn’t disturb the archangel's sleep.

"Ngk...!" the demon moaned, looking sideways. "I ... I'm sorry, angel! Are you, uh, are you upset?”

“Upset? Oh, I'm upset! I am debased, to be more exact!"

"Uh... angel, I ..."

"I am very debased by the fact that the two of you _didn't wait for me_ before the fun started!"

The demon opened his eyes wide. Aziraphale was serious, he was really disappointed. But his declaration that he wasn't jealous or anything made Crowley laugh with relief.

“Ah, sorry, Zira! Sorry! It's just... w-well... it wasn't planned, you know? It happened."

"And could you give me the details of how it happened?"

Crowley made a movement with his mouth that indicated that he was biting the inside of his cheek. He always did that when he didn't want to say anything. The Principality just shrugged, imagining that, at least for the moment, that information was not important.

“Well, it doesn't matter. It looks like you did a really great job with him.” the blond smirked.

“Hehe, you know me, angel! I never do a poor job!”

“Yes, indeed. But I’m still rather surprise with this. Few days ago you’re not in good terms with the fact Gabriel was still here.”

“Yes, but… I think I just got used to him. My biggest concern is that he might be a threat to you, but when I realized it wasn't the case, I... ”

"Did you feel like trying him yourself?"

“Err, not exactly. Like I said... it just happened!”

"Hmm." the angel nodded. “I didn't consider he was your type. I mean, of course, you already had a great admiration for him since you saw him taking a shower that time.”

"Ugh, don't remind me of that, okay?" Crowley took a long breath. “At that time the last thing I could think of was a tetê-a-tetê with Gabriel! In fact, I was jealous. And you, if I'm not mistaken, you were also jealous!”

"Yes it's true. But it seems that Gabriel is no threat to us, either way. He's not going to hurt any of us and he's not going to keep us from each other either, Crowley. In fact, I would dare say that Gabriel is already practically part of our little family.”

"Hey, hey, don't overdo it!" the demon raised his hands. “I still want our routine as it was before, Zira. Gabriel can continue to visit us, if he wants, but having him live with us forever is a bit too much!”

"I understand. Well, maybe the problem is that Gabriel doesn't have much to do here, other than watching me. He still looks a little out of place, out of his milieu. And there is no forecast for when he will return to Heaven.”

"And do you want him to stay here?"

“I can see that he is not a hundred percent happy with the situation. Even with our, uh, occasional making outs, he still looks a little depressed.”

"Yeah. And there is nothing we can do to change that?”

"We cannot change the situation." Aziraphale said, smiling and winking. "But we can improve it!"


	15. Chapter 15

Gabriel blinked a few times when sunlight flooded the room and began to reflect on his face. The archangel spent too much time sleeping and he vaguely remembered dreaming, but he didn’t remember the dream. It must have been something pleasant, because he woke up refreshed. Or maybe it was the sex he had the day before that made him feel so good when he woke up.

He was still trying to believe that it had happened. It was sudden and unexpected, especially since it happened to Crowley. The person he was sure hated him most in the world. Or at least that was what Gabriel believed.

From the beginning the red-haired demon made no effort to be kind or collaborative. At first the archangel found it disrespectful, but then he started to understand. As the days went by and he started to live more with Aziraphale, when he started to realize how adorable, kind and gentle the Principality was, Gabriel started to feel the weight of his crime getting bigger and bigger. It was entirely fair that Crowley treated him like trash.

But his expectations proved wrong - again - when the demon showed concern for the archangel when he realized that he was still hurting himself. What happened next was something else unexpected, with the piercing of his wrist, the blood running, the licking and... and... well, it was _really_ quite unexpected.

And then the two went to the bedroom and Gabriel had his worldview expanded once again. When Crowley began his caresses, when his hands began to work their magic, the archangel almost discorporated. He knew, in theoretical terms, that sex was a pleasurable activity, but he never imagined it was _that_ much.

Sighing as he remembered the event, the archangel turned on his side on the bed and realized that someone else was with him in the room.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" the angel's cheerful voice greeted him.

"Aziraphale?" he murmured, voice hoarse from sleep. "Uh, what time is it?"

"It's morning eight-ten."

Gabriel's eyes widened. It was just after noon when he went to take a shower and Crowley appeared in the bathroom. He had slept almost sixteen hours straight. The archangel imagined that the reason was, in part, the loss of blood from his corporation that left him in a more tired state than usual.

"Don't worry, you can sleep as much as you like." Aziraphale smiled. "Crowley and I are safe here. And you too."

“Oh, good! But even so, I... ”

"You are hungry?" the angel cut him off rather abruptly. One of their hands caressed the archangel's bare knee. "Do you want me to prepare a robust breakfast for you?"

“Hmmm, no. I am fine. Sleep was very invigorating.”

"Oh, really? Are you sure you don't need anything to replace the energy spend with Crowley yesterday?” the blond winked.

Although Aziraphale mentioned the matter with humor, Gabriel felt a twinge of guilt at the base of his stomach.

The archangel wondered if, in any way, he was cheating the Principality. It was a strange situation, as Aziraphale had a relationship with Crowley and was now starting one with Gabriel. In theory, had the redhead and the brunette betrayed him ate the same time? Or were relationship settings involving three people ok? He didn't remember reading anything specific about it in the various relationship books he had read in the past few days.

"Aziraphale, I..." the archangel paused, not knowing what to say. "Was what Crowley and I did yesterday right?"

"Why the question now?"

"Because I've done too many wrong things." Gabriel put a hand over his face, rubbing his chin with the five o'clock shadow. “I… I still don't know if I understand this thing about relationships very well, but… well, angels and demons should never have that kind of relationship. They should never even be friends. But I care about Crowley, he has been a good friend and a good advisor these past few days... more than that! But... ” he looked at Aziraphale's face with apprehension. "... but I don't want to do anything that hurts you."

“If that had happened weeks ago, I would have been mortified.” the blond just shook his head slowly. “My biggest fear has always been losing Crowley. Believe that, one day, he could find someone else to love and get tired of me. But today I can see that it’s not impossible to love more than one person at the same time.”

"Love...?" the archangel's eyes widened, uncertainty carried in that little word.

"Don't you love Crowley?"

“Yes, I... he is very dear to me. But I can't say if what I feel for him is the same as I feel for you. Especially since this is all... very new. ”

"Too fast for you, uh?" Aziraphale's tone of voice indicated that he had made reference to something, although the archangel did not know what it was.

“Yes, too fast. I'm still trying to understand what it all means between the two of us.” he paused and corrected the sentence. "The three of us."

"Me too. But do you know what helps to better understand a situation? Work on it.”

That said, the Principality took Gabriel's face in his hands and kissed him. The archangel wrapped him in his arms, lying on the bed with the blond on top of him.

"I'll ask you one more time just to be sure." Aziraphale murmured, in a tone that made the taller angel shudder. "Don't you really need a coffee or something right now?"

Understanding the reason for the question very well, Gabriel just laughed and kissed the Principality, allowing himself to be enveloped by the heat of his body, already naked by a miracle.

................................................................

_Just like Heaven._

"Let's go, darlings!" Aziraphale had just put on his coat and was calling Gabriel and Crowley at the bookstore door. "We’re late! Earl’s only serve brunch until ten in the morning!”

"Coming!" the demon left the back room and, with a snap, made his Bentley parked on the other street drive alone to the front of the bookstore. “Be patient, Zira. Gabe is choosing which shade of lilac he will wear for his sweater today.”

_Yeah, just like Heaven._

"I'm ready." the archangel had chosen the Purple Windsor shade for his clothes that day. He glanced at the black car that was parking on the curb. "Earl’s, did you say? Wouldn't it be easier to go on foot?”

"No fun!" Crowley chuckled. “Come on, angels. Time to fill our bellies and then come back and marathon the new Doctor Who season!”

_Better than Heaven!_

Aziraphale has had wonderful days in his long life, but those last three rivaled each other strongly.

As if it wasn't good enough to have Crowley in his arms, he now had Gabriel to share his love with. He, the Principality who became native on Earth, surrounded by his gigantic collection of books, good quality food and two boyfriends. Pleasant mornings, peaceful afternoons and nights of carnal pleasure. Ah, life was just wonderful! It even seemed unfair that he was so lucky.

But an intrinsic feature of luck is that it doesn't last forever.

The three were at Earl’s, experimenting with new flavors of eclairs, when Gabriel’s smartphone vibrated with the arrival of a message. The archangel sketched an expression of concern on his face, which Aziraphale immediately copied.

"What is it, my dear?"

"Oh, Heaven is calling me." the archangel looked equally surprised and concerned. "Metatron wants to talk to me."

"The Voice of God?!" the Principality's eyes widened. “Oh, Lord! It must be something important.”

"Yes, for sure." Gabriel got up on the table where he was. "Sorry, I need to go."

"Now? Can't you wait until you finish your plate?”

"No." Gabriel's voice came out dry. "It’s very important."

"But what subject would it be...?"

Before Aziraphale finished his sentence, Gabriel disappeared. The blonde leaned back in his chair, feeling his heart, which he often forgot was there in his chest, beat faster.

"Hey, hey, calm down, angel!" said Crowley, with a hand on the Principality's shoulder. "It shouldn't be anything serious."

"You think?"

“Well, you know Heaven's ways, not me. When this Metatron calls, are they always for good news?”

Aziraphale did not reply. For an instant, he felt as if he had stepped on the wrong foot and fallen from Heaven.

…………………………………………..

Hours had passed since Gabriel had gone to Heaven.

"Angel, you're making me nervous." was Crowley's complaint, as he watched Aziraphale pacing the bookstore, replacing the same books in the same places again and again.

"I _am_ nervous." the Principality confessed. “Is Gabriel okay? He's taking too long to come back!”

“I imagine he is delivering his weekly reports. Isn't that what you do when you're on a mission on Earth?”

"But it doesn't usually take that long." the angel's fingers were fidgety.

“Well, being worried won't do you any good. Try to relax. Make tea and eat a slice of cake. It always helps, innit?”

"Yes… I will do this."

Aziraphale withdrew to the kitchen, although he still had his head down, worried. Crowley sighed and went up to the flat. The demon didn't want to admit it, but he was also worried.

 _Oh, please! I'm picking up on Zira's bad habit of worrying about everything!_ he thought, shaking his head. It is not as if Gabriel were someone helpless. _He's Archangel Fucking Gabriel! He can take good care of himself._

The lie sounded convincing enough inside the redhead's head and he decided to deal with another matter. He started to search the blu-rays shelf for a movie to watch to relax.

That was when he felt... that.

The smell of demons was often stronger than that of angels, so it was easy for them to smell some sudden change in the fabric of Reality. And what he felt at that moment was the smell of demonic energy rising suddenly, like an explosion.

A powerful energy that was formed at that very moment in Hell.

" _AaaaAAAHHHhhh!!!_ " the scream came from downstairs and chilled Crowley's spine.

"Aziraphale?!" in a leap, the demon ran down the stairs. “Aziraphale! What's it?! Where you...?!"

It didn't take two seconds for him to find his angel. The Principality was lying on the bookstore floor, his hands on his head and his body shrunk. He looked very scared.

"Angel!" Crowley knelt beside him. "What happened?! Why did you scream ?!”

"C-Crowleeeeey ...!" he looked up, deformed in an expression of pain. His hands tightened on his chest. If he were human, the demon might think that the blonde was having a heart attack. “Crowley! D-did you ... did y-you _feel_ that?!”

“Uh, what? The powerful demonic energy forming? ”

"No!" the Principality shouted. "The divine energy fading!"

The demon blinked and imagined that what he and Aziraphale were describing were the same thing, but from different points of view.

"I felt. I mean, I felt a powerful energy coming to my side. But did you feel the opposite? What do you thi—?”

"Someone had Fallen!" the angel screamed.

"What?!"

"S-someone... had... Fallen...!" Aziraphale sobbed, tears starting to burn his eyes. "A mighty angel... _an archangel_... just Fell!"


	16. Chapter 16

"Sorry, I need to go." said Gabriel.

"Now?” Aziraphale looked worried. “Can't you wait until you finish your plate?”

"No." Gabriel's voice came out dry. "It’s very important."

"But what subject would it be...?"

Before Aziraphale finished his sentence, Gabriel disappeared. And in the next instant, he was in Heaven.

Taking a long breath, he started walking through those corridors that, in the past, he felt so good about walking. The sense of familiarity with that place seemed to be disappearing little by little. Gabriel no longer felt that Heaven was his home and this worried him.

But at the moment, he had more urgent things to worry about. Metatron had called him, and certainly the matter must be serious. The leader of the seraphim would not call him for trivialities. In fact, the last time the two talked was when the archangel received his sentence.

What could the Voice of God want with him now? Was he doing a bad job? Would he be punished again?

Gabriel was at the doors of Metatron's office. Well, not exactly a door and not exactly an office. What was ahead of him was an immense infinite blue space, surrounded by white clouds and sunlight.

"I am here." the archangel announced, although this was a mere formality. Metatron, of course, already knew he was there.

"Archangel Gabriel." the powerful voice made the dark angel's body shudder. "I'm glad you came so quickly."

Before him, the Metatron form began to emerge. It didn't seem very impressive at first, as his corporation was that of a man in his seventies, short, bald and apparently harmless. However, that seraph was probably the most powerful creature in the universe after God and Lucifer.

"Sir." the archangel bowed. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I want to discuss your stay on Earth as Aziraphale's guardian angel."

Gabriel couldn't help but swallow, but he stood his ground while the seraph spoke.

“I've been watching you. It looks like you've settled into an interesting routine.”

“Err... yes, it made my job easier. Although, in these last weeks, there was only one moment when Aziraphale really needed my protection.”

"And you weren't there."

Gabriel held his breath as he narrowed his eyes.

"Forgive me, Voice of God." he said, trying hard not to stutter. "I... I am afraid that I failed at that moment, but I assure you that I am working hard so that that mistake doesn’t repeat!"

"Yes, I noticed. You have been closer to Aziraphale since that day. In fact, not only from Aziraphale, but from the demon Crowley as well.”

"Uh... yes? Did you, uh, see that? Saw everything?"

“Of course I saw it. I can see everything, have you forgotten?”

The archangel blushed to his ear, but the seraph did not seem to notice or care. He continued talking:

“However, I must say that, more than your actions, what caught my attention were the actions of Aziraphale and Crowley. The Principality seems to have forgiven your attempt to execute him. And even the demon seemed to have forgiven you for trying to kill his lover.”

Gabriel's purple eyes widened, especially since Metatron cited the fact that Aziraphale and Crowley were lovers so naturally. _Well, he knows everything, he can see everything!_ the archangel tried to rationalize. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Voice of God was not over yet.

"They were very kind to you, don't you think?"

“Yes, they were. They forgave me with an ease that I, in their place, wouldn’t have.”

"And did this fact teach you anything?"

"Hmm, maybe taught me that they are better people than me?"

"Oh, Gabriel." Metatron shook his head. "It looks like you still haven't been able to forgive yourself, have you?"

"No." he admitted, sighing. “I still think that the punishment I received for almost murdering a sibling was too lenient. I mean, you can't even call it a punishment! I deserved a more severe sentence.”

"Perhaps. I could have punished him with something more drastic: your Fall, for example.”

Gabriel winced when he heard that, but he stood his ground while the seraph continued to speak.

“However, if I had done that, you wouldn't have rationalized your current situation, would you? You would have just transformed yourself into a demon and still wouldn’t understand the true weight of your misconduct.”

"Yes it's true. If I hadn't been sentenced to be Aziraphale's guardian angel, I might never have figured it out.”

"So, I think it's done. _Consummatum Est!"_

"Uh… w-what?"

"It's done!" Metatron smiled. “I didn’t give you this sentence to punish you. I didn’t give the respective sentences to Uriel, Sandalphon and Michael for nothing. All of them were strategically designed so that the four of you could reflect on your actions. And, it seems, you managed to do it faster than I expected.”

"Oh... so, was that my real goal?"

"Yes. Now, tell me, Gabriel: what did you learn from all of this?”

The archangel was about to answer that, the only thing he learned, was that he was a big prick. But no, Gabriel felt it was not what Metatron wanted. He didn't give him that work so that, in the end, the archangel just hated himself.

Reflecting for a moment, he said:

“I came to the conclusion that rushing to punish Aziraphale, just because he did something outside the rules of Heaven, was wrong. I should have thought a little more about the situation. I should have heard him. I was hasty and unfair in trying to do justice.”

Metatron smiled even more and clapped his hands. Not the slow, ironic clapping that he and the other archangels used to do at meetings. They were genuine claps.

"Bravo! You did better than expected!”

“Really?! Why, thank you, sir! ” the archangel couldn’t be more proud. “So this was the reflection you wanted me to have? Justice without reflection is injustice?”

“If there is one thing I learned from my long observations, it is: the beings in all existence who do something really wishing for evil are the minority. They all act in the belief that they are doing good or doing justice. The Fallen, for example, rebelled because they had another point of view, but even they didn’t have evil at heart in those times. And even today, they believe that defeating us in the war would mean correcting the ‘injustice’ we did against them.”

Gabriel was speechless, internalizing those words. _Aren't even demons really bad?_ it seemed absurd to think, but Metatron continued:

“Perhaps this is the seed of the Greater Evil: doing justice. You sentenced Aziraphale to execution because you wanted to do _justice_ , not _good_. Can you tell the difference?”

"I... yes, now I can see."

“Likewise, many demons do evil because they want to do justice. The parable of the Prodigal Son quotes this. Do you remember it?"

"Yes of course. A good and just man had two sons. One of them, the youngest and most adventurous, asked for his share of the inheritance earlier and spent it loosely. When all the money was gone, he returned to his father, who received him with a party.”

"And what happened next?"

“The older brother, who always followed his father's orders and was always a good son, was disgusted that the libertine brother was welcomed back with a party, while he was never recognized for being a good son. That it was unfair.”

"Exact. And what do you think this parable teaches?”

Gabriel thought about it. There was a time when he knew the Bible, and all its parables, by heart. But for some reason the meaning of that eluded him for a moment. But just for a moment.

"It teaches that Mercy must be greater than Justice." the archangel smiled. “The younger brother was wrong, it’s true. He made a lot of mistakes. Even so, he received a party, while the brother who never made a mistake never had a party. It may seem unfair in terms of who deserved a bonanza, but... the justice here, which would be to see the younger brother punished, wouldn’t bring any good to anyone.”

Metatron said nothing and Gabriel continued, giving a sad laugh.

“When I tried to execute Aziraphale, I was the ‘older brother ’, wasn’t I? I wanted to do what I thought was 'fair' without thinking that I could be doing more harm than good by doing this. Oh, how foolish I was!”

“Nothing is more sacred than recognizing your mistake and improving, Gabriel. I am happy for you! And I know that God is also happy.”

"Thank you!" the archangel smiled a lot, there was a freshness of satisfaction running through his soul. "Thank you very much, Metatron, for making me see the Good again."

"You're welcome. You are now released from your role as Aziraphale's guardian angel. You can go back to your previous role.”

"What?" that took the taller angel by surprise. "I... am I no longer Aziraphale's guardian angel?!"

"You already learned your lesson."

"Oh... but I..." Gabriel moved his mouth several times, but couldn't say anything. Or rather, he had so much to say that the words ran over at the exit. Finally, he spat, "But I don't want to be away from Aziraphale!"

Metatron tilted his head to the side, curious. "Really? Why?"

 _Why?!_ Gabriel wondered if it would be okay to reveal to the Voice of God that he was in love with the Principality. Not only for the Principality, but for the demon Crowley as well. _Oh... he said he can see everything! I imagine he already knows. But... if he already knows, why is he asking me?! Ugh, what am I supposed to do?!_

“Well, I, uh... I think Aziraphale needs to be protected for a little while longer. He's a little clumsy, you know? God help him! And I know that I need to resume my work here, but... I... ah... if I don't get in the way of things in Heaven, could I, uh, do a home office? Take care of bureaucratic matters down there?”

The seraph smiled widely, as if he were already waiting for that proposal.

"As long as you promise me that work won't be late..."

"Absolutely!" Gabriel straightened up. “I promise that I will do my job up twice more efficiently than before, even though I am still Aziraphale's guardian angel! His bookstore is a very cozy place and I will be able to work more easily without other angels knocking on my office door every hour. I guarantee you!”

"Very well. In this case, stop by Cassiel's office to get the paperwork. I give you my permission to work from the home office for as long as you feel necessary.”

"Thank you!" the archangel bowed his head in thanks. He was so happy that he would be able to prostrate himself on the floor and kiss Metatron's shoes. "Now, excuse me."

"One more thing, Gabriel."

"Yes, sir?"

“As I told you, Mercy must overcome Justice. However... ” the seraph looked sideways, a little sad. “... however, in recent times, most angels have preferred justice at any price. Even at the price of Evil.”

"I understand." Gabriel said, although he had the impression that he had not fully understood that statement. "Thank you again."

That said, Metatron disappeared and left Gabriel alone with his thoughts.

..................................................

Cassiel was not happy with that situation, but he had no choice. Gabriel would continue on Earth, doing home office, while he would have to remain in the bureaucratic function for some time.

The two were separating the spreadsheets and memos that the archangel would take with him. Stacks and stacks of papers that were placed right out of a leather case with infinite bottom. There were still some items from his office, including silver ink pens, divine seal stamps and Newton's pendulum. These were placed inside a large normal cardboard box.

"Don’t worry." Gabriel said, finishing packing. "I promise that this situation will not last long."

"Do you intend to return to Heaven soon?"

“In fact, I was thinking of selecting someone to take my place. As soon as I finish preparing my office on Earth, I will ask Aniel and Zalazel to trainee with me for a few weeks so that they can take over my duties up here.”

"Oh, that would help a lot!" the Virtue smiled, a little more relieved. "After all, there is no prediction of when the other archangels will return."

“I'm sure they will soon learn their lesson just like me. Everything will be better, I guarantee it!”

"I hope so!" Cassiel said, although he was still in doubt. "But between you and me, Gabriel, don't you really intend to go back to Heaven?"

"Well..." the archangel looked away. “It's not like I'm leaving for good. But I intend to spend some time down there. I am learning so many things! It would be a shame if my learning were interrupted.”

"And what have you learned from Aziraphale and Crowley?"

The taller angel blushed and chuckled without answering. Cassiel just shrugged, it's not like he could convince Gabriel to stay in Heaven, so that wasn't his problem. They were both finishing packing for the archangel to come down to Earth when they both felt... _that_.

Cassiel gasped and dropped to his knees, placing his hand on his chest. For an instant, he felt a sharp and powerful pain that made him miss the breath he didn't need. _What was that?!_ he thought, alarmed. It took a few moments for him to recover and lift his head.

Beside him, Gabriel was also on the floor. The archangel was kneeling, one hand on his chest and the other on his face. It seemed that he had felt the same thing as Cassiel, but in even greater intensity.

"G-gabriel ...?!" the Virtue babbled with difficulty. "Did you ... y-did you ... feel that ?!"

The archangel made a noise like a drowned man begging for air. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. Cassiel reached out weakly in his direction.

"Gabriel...!" he groaned. After a great effort he managed to grab the sturdy hand of the archangel. It was cold. _What is happening?! Gabriel! Is he... Falling?!_ that's what Cassiel thought, alarmed.

But moments later, the archangel recovered. He opened his eyes, filled with tears.

"Cassiel...!" he murmured, holding Virtue's hand tightly. "Cassiel, someone had Fallen!"

"Merciful God!" Cassiel thought it was that, but he wanted to be wrong. "I felt it! I... I thought it was you who was Falling right now!”

"No, not me... but ...!" Gabriel lifted his head. Tears streamed from his eyes. "Oh Lord! Forgive them! They don't know what they do!”

"Gabriel? Do you... do you know who just Fell?!"

"Yes… I know!" the archangel jumped to his feet. “Oh, I… I need to go back! I need to get back to Earth right away!”

"Wait! Who...?!”

But the archangel was already gone.

..................................................

In Crowley's arms, Aziraphale was crying. Like a heartbroken human after losing someone dear. Given the circumstances, it didn't even cross their minds that another archangel could have Fallen apart from Gabriel.

"Angel... angel, please!" the demon tried to calm him down, stroking his back. “Listen, becoming a demon is not that bad after you get used to it. And Gabriel will not change that much even after losing his Grace. Generally, much of the appearance, except for some bestial mutations, remains the same.”

"That is NOT the point!" the angel exclaimed, still crying. "It's... it's obvious that I will continue to love Gabriel, even though he is a demon! B-but... but it will be h-horrible for him, I know!”

Yes, it would be horrible for him.

When the first angels Fell, just after the War, everyone was treated more or less equally. But the late Fallen used to be treated much more rudely and violently. Some even deserved it, like the bastard Azrael ( _that wanker!_ ) _._ But, Gabriel...

Crowley shuddered at the thought of what they would do to him as soon as he got down there. Weak, confused, in pain ... the ancient archangel would be chained and dragged through hellish galleries. He, who has caused the Dukes of Hell so much trouble in the past millennia, would certainly suffer horrible tortures. He would be beaten, burned, humiliated ... raped in every way possible... _no! No, I can't allow that!!!_

"Angel, I'm going down there!" Crowley announced, heading for the door. "I will try to find the place where Gabriel Fell before the other demons catch him!"

"No!" Aziraphale grabbed his arm. "No! They will catch you too! They will torture you too!”

"Ngk!" the demon clenched his teeth. "But... but we can't leave Gabriel helpless down there!"

"So I'm going with you!"

"What?! Never! I will not allow you to go down that pit again!”

"I will not let you go there alone!"

The two looked at each other for a moment. Neither of them wanted the other to be in danger. But at the same time, they couldn’t abandon Gabriel. Finally, the demon relented.

“Okay, we are both going down there. But promise me that you will not leave my side!”

"I promise!" the Principality sniffed, rubbing his eyes. "Let's save Gabriel!"

But as soon as they stepped out of the bookstore, they felt something new.

"Wait!" the demon placed his hand on Aziraphale's chest, preventing him from taking another step. "I am feeling... a powerful demonic energy is rising to the surface!"

"Gabriel?!"

"I... I don't know!" Crowley began to feel fear welling up in his chest. “But it’s very powerful! And very... hostile!”

He didn't want to believe that that energy belonged to Gabriel. If it were, he would be unrecognizable. The amount of hurt, hatred and bloodlust that was emanating was the kind that Crowley had only felt once, at the time of Samael's Fall to become Lucifer.

However, as soon as the energy started to get closer, he felt a certain familiarity that didn't fit Gabriel.

"Shit!" he grabbed Aziraphale's arm. "Angel, let's get out of here now!"

"But what was that...?!"

"NOW!!!"

Crowley spread his black wings, grabbed the Principality by the waist and flew, not caring about possible humans watching them. Even if they were looking in their direction, they would surely only remember the explosion that came from the ground and the wave of fear and dread that made many cringe in fetal position, terrified.

Molten asphalt splashed in all directions, erecting a crater in the middle of the Soho neighborhood. Someone was there in the middle. Someone furious.

And this someone was now chasing them Crowley and Aziraphale through the air.

 _Quicky…. Fly, fly!_ Crowley thought, barely hearing what the angel was babbling, as he tried to fly faster than his wings allowed. If the two managed to get to the demon's apartment, he would be able to erect demonic protection barriers that would protect them. For a few minutes.

But the stalker was faster.

All Crowley remembered from that moment was the heavy impact on his head, his hands losing strength, releasing Aziraphale, and then he plunging into a black sea of unconsciousness.

..................................

"Crooooooowleeeey!" the angel screamed as both of them fell.

He would not have time to summon his wings, not in time to avoid falling. His body would crash to the ground and he would be discorporate. But that wasn't what worried him most.

Aziraphale grabbed the demon and hugged him, hoping the fall would be painless and theirs spirits, free from the weight of the flesh, would escape the demonic stalker behind them.

But the impact was much less painful than he expected, as he fell into someone's arms.

In the arms of an archangel.

"Ah!" opening his eyes, still stunned, Aziraphale looked at Gabriel. The archangel had taken them both in his arms, showing miraculous physical strength. "G-ga-gabri...?!"

"To the bookstore! Now!"

"Wait!" the Principality looked up. The black demonic shadow was beginning to land in their direction. "Gabriel! You cannot fight alone against...! ”

But before he finished the sentence, the archangel's powerful miracle teleported him and Crowley back to the bookstore.

"... against _her!_ " he stammered, falling to his knees, Crowley still in his arms. "Y-you can't fight alone against... _Michael!_ "


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the 200+ kudos! Love you guys!
> 
> Please, enjoy the new chapter!

In the dawn of the time, there were seven archangels.

Sandalphon, who should have been the youngest of the seraphim, but received a different function, more distant from Heaven. And he gladly accepted it.

Samael, the most beautiful, noble and intelligent of the caste. He Fell and became Lucifer.

Michael, the warrior, the sword of God. It was she who led the troops in the war and delivered the blow that defeated Samael.

Gabriel, the fast and shiny messenger. The second best warrior during the War and the current bureaucratic chief of Heaven.

Remiel, the archangel of mercy and the first to be killed for refusing to raise a weapon against his rebellious siblings.

Uriel, the flame of God. Bright, intelligent, the joy of life - although the past millennia have made her a little bitter.

Raphael, the archangel of healing who disappeared during the War, probably having the same fate as Remiel in refusing to hurt his siblings.

Of the seven, four remained. And among the remaining archangels there was a pact of cooperation and collegiality. Even though Gabriel was the leader _per se_ , he never really considered himself superior to Saldalphon, Michael or Uriel. Everyone had the same weight when making decisions, everyone was companions, everyone was friends. However, Gabriel's predilection for Michael was notorious. If anyone saw the messenger archangel as a mirror, it was Michael.

And now, what he saw in front of him was a cracked mirror, with the twisted image and splatters of blood on the surface.

Michael's demonic form was sad to see. She was still herself, but her skin was full of sores, her eyes were red with hate, and her hair was long and tousled. The voice was more hoarse, the posture more stooped and her wings... the wings were black, hairy and full of pustules, like those of a bat contaminated by some purulent disease.

And the weapon she carried in her hands was no longer a shiny bastard sword, but a flail with a black chain and a toothed demonic iron ball. And, by the marks of sticky blood on it, the ancient archangel had already used that weapon to kill some demons on the way to Earth.

And now she was after those she found guilty of her misfortune: Aziraphale and Crowley. But there was Gabriel in her path.

"First and last warning." she snarled, gritting her teeth. "Stay out of my way, Gabriel!"

For a moment, the archangel wondered if that meant there was still a minimum of goodness in Michael. If it meant there was still room to talk and try to get her to give up that pointless revenge. To comfort her in her new condition, to do anything that could prevent that fight.

"Michael..." Gabriel stammered, thinking for a second what to say.

He took too long.

The flail spun in the air and narrowly missed his head. Even so, it grazed his left shoulder, tearing his clothes and leaving three bloody welts on his skin. Gabriel took a step back before the ball made its second spin in the air and managed to avoid another impact. But the ball passed so close to his face that he could smell the demonic rot that emanated from it.

"Michael!" he shouted, as a last vain attempt to bring the former archangel back to reason. "Please, don’t! I don't want to hurt you!”

"You won't be able to hurt me!" was the angry answer. "I will _kill_ you first!"

It hurt more than a physical blow. It hurt as much as it did when Samael became a rebel and attacked him without batting an eye during the war. Gabriel could have been killed by him had it not been for Michael, who saved him from a fatal blow.

And now she was the one who wanted to kill him.

Perhaps, if the situation were different, Gabriel would even consider his destruction an appropriate punishment for his failure. For his incompetence in managing Heaven and allowing one of his siblings to suffer a Fall under his supervision. He, the most incompetent of the archangels, deserved nonexistence.

But not today. Not while the lives of the two people he loved most were in danger.

A claymore sword appeared in his hands, shining like divine silver. He countered Michael's new attack, causing the ball to bounce in the other direction and causing the demon to almost lose his balance. That opening in her guard was the perfect time for him to strike back with a cut that tore his opponent's right flank. It would be enough to make a minor enemy fall to his knees.

But Michael was no minor enemy. She was the victorious commander of the War. With a step forward, she stepped forward again, turning the flail and almost hitting Gabriel, who raised his sword and avoided the impact, his hands trembling with the shock.

The demonic ball spun in the air again. It was at that time that the archangel realized that the only advantage he had over Michael, speed, had been supplanted. If the demon was using his usual bastard sword, Gabriel would be able to trim her blows in time. But the iron ball, although slow at first, when it started to spin in the air, was fast and unpredictable.

When trying to parry a blow coming from the left, he saw, in surprise, the ball make the opposite movement and hit him in the right arm.

The black metal broke the ulna bone, causing an open fracture. The taller angel looked in horror at his torn shirt sleeve with a piece of bone protruding from his skin. He didn't even have time to scream in pain, because the second attack just didn't hit him in the face because he raised his sword hilt in time to protect himself. But the impact threw him away.

"UuuGGGhhhh!!!" he rolled on the ground, his sword arm smashed and his divine blade bouncing away. Michael gave no break and went forward holding the metal ball with both hands, jumping over Gabriel and willing to sink his head.

With just the strength of his left arm, he stopped the impact. His palm began to bleed from the holes that the ball nails made. Michael was angry, red eyes and bat wings spread. Trying to compose himself, Gabriel also invoked his wings.

They arose powerfully on his back, sending a breath of air that pushed Michael away. The wings spread white and shiny, with a soft lilac hue.

Breathing heavily, he conjured up a miracle to restore his right arm, although a demonic attack of that magnitude was not easy to cure. The best Gabriel could do was put the bone back in place, but his right arm was weakened until he could heal it properly.

The claymore sword returned to his hands just as Michael stepped forward once again with the flail. The iron ball was fast and unpredictable. If it continued, he would inevitably receive another blow.

"That... d-damn weapon...!" he murmured, preparing for the new counterattack.

Only the archangel Gabriel had the strength in his left wrist to make a movement as fast and graceful with a sword as big as that one. Speed was his strong point and, even with the wrong hand, he managed to move the blade at the exact moment and reach the weakest link in the flail chain, breaking it.

The ball followed its course until it crashed to the ground, leaving Michael with only a metal rod and a long broken chain at the end.

More than enough for her.

Swinging the chain like a whip, she grabbed the archangel's left wrist, pulled him towards her and attacked him with a knee that hit him in the chest and cracked his sternum. Gabriel lost his breath, but luckily he didn't need to breathe.

With a strong movement, he pulled the chain back. The metal rod escaped Michael's hands, although the pressure of the chain left the archangel's left wrist wounded. He made another move with the sword, believing it could be the last due to the state of his wrist.

The tip of the sword caught Michael's right eye, who screamed as red blood plopped from her face. Mad with hatred, she advanced on Gabriel, the nails of her hands elongated, like the claws of a deadly beast.

One of the blows tore the archangel's left arm from elbow to shoulder. The sword fell again from his hands and he tried to grab Michael by the wrists. Although he was stronger physically, both of his arms were injured. He wouldn't be able to stop her for long.

"Michael!" he shouted, trying to resist the excruciating pain of holding the demon woman. Her skin burned his palms like a heated iron. “I'm really sorry about what happened to you! I am so sorry! But hurting Aziraphale and Crowley is not going to fix things!”

“Shut the fucking up!" she snarled. And Gabriel realized that the teeth in her mouth were becoming fangs. “They are responsible for everything that went wrong! _You are_ responsible! It’s not fair for you to get away with it! You will pay! _All of you will pay!_ This is not just revenge! This is _justice_!”

"Justice..." the archangel murmured, seconds before Michael buried her fangs in his right arm.

With a cry, Gabriel launched a miraculous attack on her and the demon flew away, but with a piece of the archangel's flesh in her mouth. If the right arm was already weak, it was now completely useless. A quick miracle of healing stopped the bleeding just before Michael moved forward again like a mad animal.

The archangel conjured up another miracle, a golden chain appeared in his hands and he used it to imprison his enemy. Those were the divine chains that were used to arrest prisoners of war. With the Fall of Lucifer, all those who were trapped by those chains would suffer tremendous pain as soon as the metal touched their skins.

"AaaaAAAAAHHHhhh!!!" the former archangel screamed and fell to her knees when the chains wrapped around her body and attached her bat wings.

"I'm s-sorry." Gabriel stammered, frowning with the pain in this body and soul. “Y-you acted on my orders... your Fall is _my_ fault. Please, forgive Aziraphale and Crowley! I was the one who ordered their execution. I should have Fallen!”

"Ehhh... heeee...." Michael started to murmur, and the archangel wasn't sure if she was crying or moaning in pain. "Heh ... hehehehe .... hahahaHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

Gabriel's eyes widened, not understanding. She was laughing.

"You imbecile!" she snarled, widening her single good eye. "Do you really think that I... _I,_ _Archangel Michael_ , would be manipulated by a cretinous himbo like you?! I was the one who gave you the compromising photos of Crowley and Aziraphale! I was the one who stuck it inside your thick skull that they were traitors! And, if your brain serves something more useful than separating your ears, you must remember that I was also the one who suggested contacting Hell to get the hellfire and I deliver the holy water to them!”

The archangel opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. Thoughts and memories ran fast inside his mind. _She is right ... she was the one who insisted that I do the execution! She talked about cleaning up my honor... she talked about the Grand Plan... she talked about... Justice!_

It was at that very moment that Gabriel came to that conclusion that Michael broke free from the chains. The golden links turned red and then black, shattering into a thousand pieces. With her newly acquired demonic powers, the ex-archangel attacked Gabriel once again, and narrowly, his claws wrapped in hellfire didn’t hit him in the face, but came close enough for the heat to cause first degree burns on his cheek.

A ball of demonic flames formed in her hands and Michael launched it towards Gabriel, who managed to hold off the attack with another miracle of protection that generated a funnel of energy that stopped the flames in the air. But the red-hot ball kept spinning and advancing little by little.

The two powerful beings were measuring miracle power and, at that moment, Michael was winning. Her sphere of hellfire getting closer and closer, almost touching her enemy.

“You are pathetic, Gabriel! You were always pathetic!” the demon said, with a sadistic smile. The fireball was getting closer and closer, supplanting the opposite force of divine energy. “You always thought you were leading something in Heaven when you were leading nothing! An asshole like you never deserved to be an archangel! You never deserved anything! You are no one's leader, you are nothing! Are you listening to me?! _Nothing!_ "

"Ahhh-I... I..." the hellfire ball was already less than ten centimeters away from him. The heat alone was enough to raise burn blisters on the archangel's left arm. If it touched him, it would be the end. "... I am... _Guardian Angel_... _Fucking_... **_GABRIEL_** _!!!"_

A powerful pulse of energy came out of his hand, repelling the fireball towards Michael, who had no way to stop the attack. She was hit hard by hellfire, as well as divine power. The impact of two such big powers was too much for her corporation.

In a burst of sulfur, Michael became a handful of ashes and her spirit returned to Hell.

Unable to stand after spending so much energy, Gabriel fell to his knees. _It's over_... he thought, watching the asphalt of the ground approach his face.

But his face never hit the ground. A pair of friendly arms held him, preventing him from hurting himself further. And then a second pair of arms embraced him.

 _Aziraphale... Crowley?_ his vision was blurred, but the warm energy of the Principality and the red-haired demon was unmistakable. With a smile on his face, he lost consciousness.


	18. Chapter 18

When Gabriel opened his eyes, the strong light in the room forced him to close them almost immediately. His self-awareness began to spread throughout his body, which was not at all pleasant. He felt a burning sensation in his face, shoulders and chest. When he tested his lungs, the pain increased. When he tried to raise his right hand to protect his eyes from the light, he realized that he could barely feel it. His hand was still there, though completely bandaged and numb.

He was in Heaven, lying on a bed covered with white sheets. His face, chest and both his arms were bandaged. The memory of what had happened started to come back to him: his battle with Michael... yes, he defeated her, but she seriously injured him during the fight. Wounds that certainly wouldn’t heal so easily even with the miracles of an archangel.

And that was why he was all wrapped up in that bed. It’s also for this reason that Aziraphale, who was sitting next to him reading a book, almost jumped out of his chair when he realized that the archangel had woken up.

"Do not move!" it was the first thing the Principality said, placing his hands gently on him to keep him from getting up. “You are very hurt! It wasn't just your physical body that suffered, but your spiritual body too! You need to rest!”

"... good morning to you too..." Gabriel murmured, in a weak voice and a smile.

Aziraphale's eyes widened and, after a long sigh, shook his head.

“Forgive me, dear boy. But the moment is not for chit-chat. You need to rest, period. You better avoid talking too. Save your strength.”

Gabriel winced, but luckily opening his mouth and vibrating his vocal cords wasn’t the only way he had to communicate.

 _Are you alright?_ he thought, casting the mental words at the Principality. _And Crowley? Is he ok?_

“Yes, Crowley and I are fine. Thanks to you, my brave hero!” the blond pulled the sheets to cover the archangel and caressed him lightly on the part of his face that was not wrapped in bandages. “Now think about recovering, Gabriel. Your injuries were very serious. We can talk later."

_But, what about Michael? Where did she ...?_

Gabriel couldn’t finish the thought because Aziraphale snapped his fingers and a great sleep started to come over him. Like a morphine injected directly into the mind. Sighing, the archangel didn’t fight the feeling of tiredness and closed his eyes, falling into a deep and restful sleep shortly thereafter.

……………………………….

When Gabriel woke up again he knew that several hours had passed. He was still lying on the same bed, although the bandages around his body appeared to be cleaner than before. Probably someone changed his bandages while he slept.

But he didn't have much time to think about his condition, as it was with huge surprise that he saw Crowley beside him. Sitting in the same chair that Aziraphale was in (the Principality was not in the room), listening to music so loudly that it was possible to hear it even with the demon using headphones.

And even with the headphones on, he realized that the archangel had woken up.

"Oh, good morning, Gabe." Crowley smiled and turned off the music. “Or good night... I don't know. There are no nights in Heaven. Are you feeling well? Or, I should ask… are you feeling less worse than yesterday?”

"Yeah..." he shifted on the bed, feeling that the burning in his face, shoulders and chest had lessened, but the pain in his arms had increased. This was good, in part, as it meant that his body was restoring the nerves damaged by the burns of the extremities of his limbs. If he was lucky, he wouldn't need a new corporation. "How did you... how did they let you come up here, Crowley?"

"Professional secret!" Crowley said, getting up from the chair and picking up some objects that were on a nearby table. When he turned around, the archangel was making a face. “Oh, fine! Aziraphale forced them to let me in, because he didn't trust anyone else in Heaven to take care of you. In fact, if you didn't need some miraculous ointments that could only be made by Powers, he wouldn't even allow you to be brought here.”

"Wow, he learned how to be tough." Gabriel smiled. “I understand his paranoia, but if there is something Heaven knows how to do well, it’s taking care of people. I would be in good hands even without him here.”

"I highly doubt it, because for sure Zira is three times a better caregiver than any of these guys." the demon shook a medicine box. “Speaking of which, he left some painkiller pills separate. And I'm glad you woke up, otherwise I would have to inject them in you with a needle, in the same way that he did in the first three days.”

"Three...? First _three_ days?! Have I been knocked out for so long?” the archangel opened his eyes wide and then shook his head, giving a small laugh. “Heh... and have you two been unprotected all this time? Tsk, what a beautiful guardian angel I am…”

The demon frowned and took a heavy step towards the bed. He held Gabriel by the part of his face that was unhurt.

“You will _not_ talking shit about yourself in front of me! You're the best bloody guardian angel in the universe, Gabe! You fought the shit of an _archdemon_! No any archdemon, the one who defeated Satan herself! So don't even start to deprecate yourself! The mere fact that you are still alive already proves that you’re fucking badass!”

"Well... maybe, but what if other demons came after you-"

“Shhhh! I don't want to hear that.” he closed the archangel's lips with a finger, resting lightly on his lips. And then he gave him a small peck in the lips. “Take your pills, handsome. I want you fully restored soon for me and Zira to thank you appropriately when we return to Earth.'' he winked.

Gabriel smiled at the prospectus and obediently took his medicine and followed orders to rest.

…………………………….

Two days passed and Gabriel was almost completely recovered from his injuries. But, at Aziraphale's insistence, he stayed in Heaven for another day, just to be sure. And it was on this last day that he received a visit from Uriel and Sandalphon.

"Gabriel!" the rotund angel smiled when he saw him. "How are you?"

"I am fine." was the archangel's reply, smiling at his friend. “And how are you, Sandalphon? Uriel?”

"We are better than Michael, I suppose." said Uriel, with a sad smile. “Missionary work on Earth is not so bad when you get used to it. But human children could have fewer secretions, right? Less snot, and sweat, and pee and poop... ”

“Humpf, they are not very different from elder humans! Many secretions too!” the archangel cleared his throat. “Well, how's your job as a guardian angel, Gabriel? Does it involve a lot of secretions too?” the archangel said, in a joke tone.

Gabriel blushed, not sure if Sandalphon said that innocently or if he was implying anything.

“Err… not much. In fact, I have already been released from my sentence. I don't need to be Aziraphale's guardian angel anymore.”

"Oh!" Uriel looked genuinely surprised. "But I heard that you fought Michael to protect him!"

“Yes, but I didn't protect him as a guardian angel. I protected him of my own free will, without obligation.”

Sandalphon and Uriel looked at each other, not quite understanding the situation. But they just shrugged.

“Well, in any case, I'm glad that the Almighty has forgiven you, Gabriel. You must have really done a spectacular job.” said the black-skinned archangel, showing an irritated expression. "As for me and Sandalphon, well... we're still waiting to be forgiven."

"Maybe you two should start by forgiving yourself."

"What?" the bald archangel didn’t seem to understand. "How do we forgive ourselves?"

"Heh, never mind." Gabriel shook his head slightly. “I am sure that you will come to this conclusion sooner or later. For now, if you need any assistance, I will stay on Earth for a while longer.”

"Oh really? Even after you've served your sentence? I thought you were crazy to finally come home!”

"I am at home." the tallest angel looked up and smiled. "Next to Aziraphale and Crowley, I will always be at home."

………………………………………………

The humans passing by on the street turned their heads to appreciate the gorgeous tall man who looked proudly at the window of a commercial building. He was impeccably dressed, in a light-colored suit, shiny shoes and perfect hair. The purple eyes shone with pride.

On the fourth floor of the building, which was on the corner adjacent to a used bookstore in Soho, was _Angels n' Demons: Layers_ , a law firm that Gabriel would use as a shell business to do his heavenly work on Earth.

The archangel entered the building, took the elevator and entered his office. Everything was ready, with new furniture, office supplies and a bookcase full of legal books as a disguise. Now, he just needed to learn to leave his office open at inconvenient times to prevent humans from coming to bother him. But Crowley assured him that the ill irony of his office's name would drive most people away.

Although everything was ready he was in no hurry to get back to work. He decided to stop by the bookstore first. Aziraphale and Crowley were organizing some books and the angel looked particularly sad, but smiled from ear to ear when he saw the archangel entering his store.

"Gabriel!" he stepped forward and hugged him, kissing him shortly thereafter. "Have you finished your shift?"

"I haven't even started yet." the archangel laughed. "I thought about calling you for a celebratory lunch before I started."

“Oh, that would be great! Crowley?”

"Sure, count on me." said the demon. “By the way, you are in good time! Zira here was beginning to regret your absence. And you left not even two hours ago!”

"I still think it's silly for you to work away from us." the Principality grunted, annoyed.

“I'm not far away. I'm on the other corner, right there. You will be able to see me from the window of the flat.”

“Yes, but... why stay in another building? You could set up your office in the back room of the bookstore.”

"And would you two promise to leave me alone for at least eight hours a day so I can do my job?" the archangel questioned, smiling.

"Nah!" Crowley came over, cupped the archangel’s face, and kissed him. "I can barely keep my hands off you for more than eight minutes!"

"Did you see? This is the reason.” Gabriel gestured to Crowley and Aziraphale just rolled his eyes, giggling.

“Oh, you two! Well, in this case, promise me that you won't at least work overtime, darling. I want you home every day for dinner. And without delays. Oh, and no extra work on the weekends! Heaven will not end if you make use of your well-deserved weekly rest.”

"Sure, love."

“Good! Now let's have lunch. How about Indian?”

"Sounds good. Let’s go.”

The three went out into the street, walking together, the three holding hands. More heads turned towards them, some with expressions of kindness, others of envy and others of disgust - the latter Crowley made a point of recording the faces to play tricks on these humans later.

"So... hmm, I..." Gabriel started to speak, uncertain. "You never told me what happened to Michael."

"Oh, I can tell." said the demon. “She had to be locked up in the deepest, most secure cells in Hell. The kind that is reserved only for the most dangerous beasts, like Leviathan and Behemoth.”

"Oh... I see." Gabriel looked down sadly. "I know she deserves it, but... in my heart, I don't want her to suffer too much."

“Heh, don't worry! Michael has already proven that she knows very well how to take care of herself, even though she is a late Fallen. Besides, she was already respected down there before she became a demon. I don’t doubt that, in a few years, any admirer of her will go downstairs and free her from the solitary.”

"Uh, that wouldn't be very good for us." Aziraphale commented, somewhat concerned. "She could try again to get her revenge."

"Well, I think that means I'm going to have to stay here for a long time to protect you two." Gabriel smiled.

"Ooooh, certainly!" Crowley put his arm around the archangel's waist and pulled him close. “You will probably have to stay longer to protect us, Gabe. How about you being our guardian angel for a few more centuries? Better! How about taking on this role for… hmmm… _forever_?”

Gabriel's response was a kiss to the demon and another to the Principality.

"And don't forget, dear boy." Aziraphale said, gently stroking the archangel's face. “Don't forget that the two of us are also going to protect you. Ever!"

"I know." Gabriel said, feeling so happy that it barely fit in his chest. And for this reason, he knew that this happiness had to be shared. “The three of us are one now. Today and always!"

With this certainty in mind, the trio continued down the street, happy to know that a wonderful new phase of their lives was just beginning. And theirs wings, though invisible to human eyes, were spread across their backs. A white, black and light purple pair. Each wing protecting the other. And so it would be. Forever.


End file.
